Sarah vs The Missing Asset
by LeeCan
Summary: This story has morphed into an introspective of Sarah as she searches for her missing asset. We'll see together where this goes. Chapter twelve has some tasteful, steamy scenes. Read with care.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Being a little concerned over how the writers of our favorite show will get Chuck out of the mess they've written him in, I wondered how I would try to do this if Chuck had spurned Sarah for Jill. This is one idea. Hope you like it.

I have had little to no time for writing. I am not sure how quickly I will be able to update. I'll do the best I can. I hope to get back on schedule in a couple of months.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

She slept fitfully.

Although she was completely unaware, her long lean body tossed and turned throughout the night as she occupied every centimeter of her bed. Her unconscious concern for the man she had unwittingly given her heart to caused her to fight terrorist, fulcrum agents, demons and even a high school bully while she slept. Startled into wakefulness as she pulled her night mask from her face, she looked out of her hotel window surprised to see that the sun was almost at mid-sky.

The feeling of betrayal coursed through her mind and almost made her gasp. She had never felt this bad in her whole life. How could he have treated me as if I didn't mater, she thought.

She had felt bad when she thought that Bryce had betrayed her for another ideology but this was far worse. Chuck had betrayed her for another woman.

She lay in bed momentarily feeling as though she was worse off than being dead. She watched a cloud drift across the peaceful blue of the California sky as her face began to take on the perplexed expression of someone who slowly began to realize that something was wrong. Terribly wrong. She didn't know how she knew it. She just knew. She jumped out of bed kicking the maroon covers off of her body and ran to her phone that lay on the mahogany dresser on the other side of the room right beside her black purse and her Berretta.

Grabbing the phone she checked to see if she had any messages and began to frown when she saw that she did not. As her brow deepened, she hurriedly dialed the number that was engrained into her mind…and in her heart. In her haste she misdialed and had to clear two numbers before getting so exasperated that she cleared all the numbers to start over. They had stopped using speed dial numbers for security reasons. Becoming more anxious, she quickly pulled the spaghetti strap of her pink nightshirt off of her arm and back up over her shoulder as she feverishly worked at her keypad.

Finally, she entered the correct combination of numbers and waited breathlessly for the voice that she needed to hear more than anything else in this world to respond to her call. She did hear it but realized instantly that it was his voicemail. She quickly disconnected and dialed another number. At least Casey would know what's going on, she thought.

She listened as the phone rang three times and waited for Casey's voicemail. She would at least leave him a message to get back to her. It took her a second to realize that the voice she heard was not directing her to Casey's voicemail. Instead it told her that the number she had dialed had been disconnected. She dialed the number again and waited for the response.

She slumped to her knees when she heard the same announcement as she instantaneously realized that there had been a change in her status. As she looked at her phone, she let out a single solitary sob. She fought for control and when she thought that she could, she took a deep cleansing breath. Without warning and catching her completely by surprise she began to sob in earnest. Long desperate sobs describing without error the state of her mind, and of her heart.

When she was able to gain control, she stood and dressed in as much haste as possible. Thirty minutes later she was knocking at Chuck's apartment and ringing his doorbell at the same time. She pushed the button repeatably as if that alone would bring the occupants to the door. She tried looking into the windows but the drapes were pulled not giving her visible access the apartment.

She let out a sigh of complete and utter frustration as she pulled her lock picking tools from her pocket. It did not even occur to her to consider why she had the foresight to bring these unique tools with her.

Within ten seconds she had the door unlocked and as she hurriedly flung it open and stepped inside the Bartowski apartment, she looked around completely in shock at the empty room that she now occupied. Deep down she knew what she would see.

Unconsciously dropping the tools she used to get inside the apartment, she ran into what had once been Chuck's room finding it as empty as the rest of the apartment. As her training kicked into place, she slowly and with much more calm than she had previously exhibited, turned to walk slowly back into what had been the Bartowski's living area. Dialing the number for the one person she knew she would reach, she took a deep breath and waited for the response.

"Beckman here."

"General Beckman, this is Walker. I have a situation to report."

"Calm down, Walker. We have everything under control."

"You have Chuck?"

"And his sister and her fiancé."

Sarah let out a deep breath as she fought to keep her voice steady. "Where are they? I'll leave immediately."

"That won't be necessary agent Walker. You will be returning to CIA jurisdiction and most likely reassigned within the week. Do you understand?"

She did, this was what she had feared she would hear from the general but now actually hearing the words made it real in a sense she had a hard time understanding.

"The NSA has control of Chuck?" she asked.

"We have jurisdictional control over the information within the intersect. There are some people that feel that since Fulcrum has come close to grabbing Bartowski more than once that we need to take proactive steps to protect him."

"I understand General, and I agree. I just feel like I should be part of his handling team." She tried to sound completely professional and hoped the desperation did not seep out of her voice.

"I'm sure you do Agent Walker, and I'm sure you will agree that the fewer number of agencies and agents involved, the less likely that Fulcrum is going to stumble onto Mr. Bartowski's new identity and location."

"But General-"

"This is not a debate Walker, you need to check in with your new Director and get on with your job…Is that clear?"

"Can I at least talk with him one last time?"

"What on earth for?"

Sarah hesitated realizing that she had painted herself into a corner. "It's just that Chuck and I became friends and we did not end things on the best of terms …I would like to at least let him know that everything is OK."

Sarah cringed when she heard the general snicker on the other end of the phone.

"I guess what they say about you is true, huh Walker?"

"I don't know what you mean Ma'am."

"Oh, I think you do. I think you know fully well that you have a reputation of falling for the guys you work with. I guess that goes for nerdy computer geeks as well."

Sarah listened wordlessly as the general said goodbye while still chuckling to herself. She sat down in the middle of the empty apartment and stared with an expression on her face as vacant as the room she sat in.

Sighing deeply she looked at her phone again. Dialing another familiar number, she waited for an answer. This time however the number belonged to a total stranger. A stranger that happened to be her new boss.

"Director Mella, this is agent Sarah Walker. General Beckman has advised me that I need to report to you."

"Agent Walker, I've been expecting your call. I want to see you a week from Monday in my office."

"Yes sir, but I hoped that I could find out a little about Chu- I mean my old asset. I had hoped of making one last contact."

"Not going to happen Walker. You know why?"

Sarah could not hide the disappointment in her voice. "Why is that sir?"

"Because even I don't know where the NSA have taken him. Or what their intent is for him for all that mater."

The small hairs on the back of Sarah's neck stood up. "What do you mean by that sir?"

"Nothing Walker, it's just that I am totally out of the loop. Not that I ever had much collaboration with Beckman on this project. One thing I know for sure is that she will go to any means necessary to protect the information in that man's head."

"That's not the same thing as protecting Chuck is it Director Mella?"

"No, Agent Walker…it is not. It's out of your hands now…I'll see you next week then?"

"Yes sir." Sarah said.

Sarah walked out of the apartment making sure to lock the door behind her. She hurried to her car and drove back to her apartment. She knew that she needed to find another place to stay before any of Chuck's friends began to look for him. She also knew that the government would give Chuck a plausible excuse for being gone so that his trail would grow cold before his friends knew he was even gone. But it would not be good if they were to run into her now.

Exactly one hour later she had packed her belongings and drove to a Holiday Inn north of the city. After checking in and throwing her clothes on the bed, she began to map out her strategy of finding where the NSA had taken Chuck and his sister.

She had bought a legal notepad to jot down her thoughts as a way to capture anything that might randomly pop into her head which may be important. She had determined that the NSA had to have had been planning this event long before Jill had exposed Chuck as an asset of interest. It was as she was trying to fit the pieces together to the NSA evacuation timeline that she got an alert from her phone. She knew it was a voicemail.

She looked to see who was calling her and saw that it was unknown. She dialed voicemail and waited for the message. Somewhere deep inside her she knew this was important. But she had no idea that she would hear the desperate voice of the man she loved asking for help.

As much as she wanted to collapse and cry in frustration, she knew that she had the first real clue towards finding her asset. It was only three words and she was pretty sure his message was cut short. She played it again to make sure that she heard what she thought she did.

"Sarah, help. We-"

After listening again she was certain that Chuck had been hit on the head effectively stopping his plea for help.

Sarah sat her phone down on the floor beside her. She stared at the wall opposite of her without expression. She was not even aware of the birth of the thought in her mind but she did not even flinch knowing the price she would pay for this favor.

She was going to find Chuck, she didn't care who she had to walk over. She didn't care what the personal cost was. But she was not going to let this end without a fight.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number she never thought she would again. Waiting for the answer she sat emotionlessly. She knew that she was selling her soul to the devil but she didn't care. Chuck was worth it.

"Hello, Yuri. Sarah Walker. I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: A little dark to begin with but I wil try to make it all worth while in the end.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Two

Sarah pulled her rental up to a small parking area underneath the lower east side bridge. She got out and looked around. Her eyes found nothing out of the ordinary but her mind knew that her eyes were lying to her. She hated New York and she hated dealing with one of the few people on this planet who actually scared her. She turned her face from the biting wind that wiped about her as she continued to search for the man she knew was there.

Yuri Karlanov stepped out from the shadows of the bridge and her eyes fastened on him intently. She hated the fact the she knew that he knew that she was afraid of him. But as much as she tried to steel herself against the thought of this man, she found that she could not. She was practically trembling as she gazed at him. If there was any other way to find Chuck she would take it but she had no other options.

The night was dark with heavy cloud cover but Sarah could make out the form of Yuri easily. He wore a stylish black leather coat that reached well below his knees. He had the swagger of a man who knew that he was the male lion of this territory. Although the coat hid his muscular form, Sarah remembered him clearly. What made Yuri so frightening was his ungodly strength. She remembered seeing a man hit him in the head with a hammer before Yuri beat him to death…with his open hand. Yuri laughed as he killed the man. He had had a court order stating he could not hit anyone with a closed fist. He found it funny that he could still kill someone while at the same time obey a court order.

Sarah knew that most women would think that Yuri was handsome but she knew him. She knew the mean steak that flowed through him. His cruelty was depthless, even as a young man in Wisconsin, Yuri was known as someone to be feared. Sarah didn't know exactly how old he was but she guessed that he was at least five years older than herself.

Sarah's slow easy gait as she stepped across a small mud puddle belied her fear. She looked elegant in a form fitting, black, cotton jump suit. Her hair was tied up in a pony tail that looked natural for her attire. However, she knew that if she needed to fight, as a last resort, this outfit and this hairstyle would be most appropriate.

As she closed the distance between the two of them, she tried to ascertain his mood by studying his features. She knew that his blue grey eyes would haunt her sleep for months. His dark hair was close cropped showing a scar on the side of his skull, a scar that easily showed the imprint of a hammer. Yuri wore the scar as if it were a medal of valor.

"Thanks for seeing me Yuri," Sarah said earnestly.

"What choice do I have, Katie. We go back a ways. Besides, you tend to drop off the face of the earth between visit with me. Kind of makes a guy curious."

"In our line of work it pays to be invisible." Sarah met Yuri's eyes evenly and waited for him to get to business.

"I would have never imagined little Katie O'Connell growing up to be a mercenary," he said showing his perfectly shaped white teeth.

It took every ounce of control to keep Sarah from shaking from the bad vibe his smile gave her. He had the annoying habit of rubbing his tongue under his top teeth when he smiled.

"Yuri, I need a favor and I don't have anywhere else to turn," she said and waited for his response.

He did not seem to be in a hurry to respond instead he looked down at his hands. Sarah followed his gaze to the same hands and noticed how big they were. It made her want to start talking. No, it made her want to babble on about anything just as long as someone was speaking. If not for the superior training she had received from the CIA, she would have done just that. Instead she waited on him.

He finally looked up at her and she thought for just an instant he showed an expression very close to respect as he regarded her.

"So, what is it you need?" he said his face turning cold. It was now time for business.

"Two things, first, I have a voicemail that I would like to have analyzed for background sound. Secondly, I need to find the whereabouts of an NSA agent named John Casey."

"How much you got?"

"I have two hundred and seventeen thousand."

He showed her his perfect teeth, again rubbing them with his tongue. "That's not even half of what I would need."

Sarah hated saying what she had to say but she knew that no mater what price she quoted it would not have been enough. Yuri always wanted a favor. That's how he operated.

"I'm willing to barter."

"What have got to trade?"

"Same as last time, my services. Just as long as I don't betray my country."

Yuri took a step closer to her and quickly raised his hand to the zipper of her top. He stared at the zipper as he took a hold of it before flashing his eyes to hers as he began to pull down.

Sarah didn't move. She let him continue but she hoped that he would stop on his own.

They continued to stare at one another and now the zipper was below her breasts.

When she saw that he was not going to stop, in a flash, that even surprised Yuri for its speed, Sarah put her hand around his wrist. "Stop," was all she said.

"I thought this time I might collect a more personal favor," he said smiling.

Sarah amazed herself as she stayed calm under Yuri's scrutiny. "No, that's not for sale."

"Really? The last time I saw you I got the distinct impression that you were willing to barter anything. In fact, didn't you use those exact words?"

She continued to meet his gaze. "I'm not the same person I was back then. Now, there are some things I'm not willing to sell."

Yuri's anger flashed as he grabbed her hard by the shoulders and squeezed making her yell. But she did not attempt to fight back.

"Who do you think you are telling me what I can have and what I can't have?" I can have it right now…if I want." His face was just inches from hers.

Sarah had no doubt that he spoke the truth. "I'm sure you can, Yuri. But that would be stealing. Either way I'm not for sale," she said trying hard not to wince from the pain of his huge hands bearing down into her shoulders. He continued to stare hard into her eyes completely ignoring the cop car driving overhead at top speed with its sirens blaring.

She finally could take no more and let out a gasp causing him to shove her away from him as he let go of her.

"What would I want with the likes of you anyway? You'd probably give me something."

Sarah knew enough not to say a word. She could see that he did not like the fact that she had somehow manage to believe in herself since he had last seen her. She had gained a sense of self respect after knowing Chuck that she had not had before.

He turned around showing his complete and utter disdain for her as a threat. Sarah knew that he was trying to calm himself down. After a couple of minutes, he turned back to her. "Send you voicemail to this number," he said giving her a slip of paper.

"And what about John Casey?" Sarah said.

"Now that may take a little more time. Tell me more about him."

"Casey is a Major in the Air Force. He's strict, straight and narrow, he is very good at what he does-"

"Why do you want to know where he is?"

Sarah shook her head. "My business. I'm paying you to find him."

Yuri walked back to Sarah stopping just less than an arm's length away from her. Reaching his hands to put them on her shoulders, this time caressing them as he continued to stare at her.

"Is he a pilot," he said as he rubbed her sore shoulders.

"Yes."

"Have you checked all the private airports for flight plans and pilot registry?"

Sarah felt like a fool and it must have showed on her face because Yuri stopped his massage of her shoulder and began to snort in amusement.

"This might be the easiest money I've ever made. I'll meet you tomorrow at ten at the bus station…just over there. He pointed to the north.

Sarah knew the place and nodded.

"Bring the money with you and we'll discuss the rest of your payment then," he said and walked away from her.

Sarah didn't bother to respond. She knew that anything she said would have sounded hollow. Instead she walked back to the car and got in. She sat inside for a long moment before starting it and driving back to the hotel room.

She drove the twenty minutes to her hotel in silence. Only after parking the car and having to force her hands off the steering wheel did she notice that she was gripping the wheel as tightly as she could. Her hands actually ached as she walked into the hotel lobby.

After getting undressed and taking a showing, because she felt dirty having been in Yuri's presence, she ended up lying on the bed just staring at the ceiling. She knew that she had made a huge mistake by not checking the airports and pilot registry. She ordinarily did not make those kinds of mistakes. She knew that Chuck had affected her in many ways and this was one of those manifestations.

As she stared at the ceiling, her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and briefly smiled.

"Hello Bryce."

"Sarah, I'm just calling to see how you're doing?"

"I'm fine, just enjoying a little time off." As much as she didn't want to admit it to herself, she was glad that Bryce had called. It cheered her up on a way.

"Yeah, I heard you were off the intersect case."

Sarah found it odd that Bryce did not refer to Chuck by name. "That's right, for now."

"Sarah, you've got to let it go."

Ok Bryce. I don't need a lecture from you about getting too involved with my work. You didn't seem to mind when that involvement was you." Sarah listened to silence on the other end of the phone.

"Bryce, are you there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. And you're right. I didn't mind but this seems to be affecting your performance."

Sarah didn't like where this was headed. "Bryce, where are you right now?"

"I'm in Toronto until Tuesday."

"Is there anyway you could come to New York tomorrow? I have to deal with someone that is…well let's just say I would be more comfortable with backup."

Sarah had sat up in bed as she talked to her old lover. She hoped that maybe he could come to New York and keep an eye on things during her meeting with Yuri tomorrow.

"Sure, when do you need me?"

"I have a ten O'clock meeting."

"I'm leaving now. I'll see you at your hotel early in the morning. Just send me your address."

"Thanks Bryce." Sarah disconnected the call and promptly emailed her hotel address and room number to Bryce and then looked at the ceiling as she tried to fall asleep. She could not help but wonder what Chuck was doing right this instant.

But soon enough, sleep had found her and she escaped the constant questions about Chuck just to be haunted by the blue grey eyes of Yuri Karlanov.

X-X

Sarah woke up the next morning early and began to prepare for her meeting. She decided that she should take a shower before Bryce showed up. No need in having to deal with whatever that might bring up if she were to be in the shower when he arrived. She knew that Bryce was used to getting his own way with her and she also knew that his feelings would be hurt when she shut him down. Better to avoid that altogether, she thought.

She showered and washed her hair. She knew that her best chance against Yuri was her beauty. And she was going to take advantage of every asset she had. As she stepped out of the shower, she grabbed her towel to dry off but remember she had left her hair brush on the bed. So with the towel loosely draped over her shoulder she left the bathroom to retrieve her hairbrush.

"Well this is more welcome than I had hoped for."

Sarah yelled as she saw Bryce standing in her hotel room. She cringed inside knowing that he got a full view of her naked body before she hurriedly covered herself with her towel.

"Bryce, what are you doing here so early and how did you get in?" Sarah's voice was angrier than her features. It was hard to look angry as you tried to cover yourself with a towel that was hardly big enough for the job.

"You gave me you room number so I came over as soon as I landed. What's the big deal? It's not like I haven't seen it all before."

"The big deal is…you and I are not together like that now."

"That doesn't mean that we can't rectify that situation," he said as he took a step toward her.

"Stop right where you are," she said and notice his brow furrowed. "Look, Bryce. I need a little backup and nothing else."

"Are you still pinning for Chuck?" he said it as if it were an accusation.

Sarah hesitated not knowing how to respond.

"Wait a minute. That's what this is all about isn't it? You're trying to find Chuck are you?"

She pulled the towel a little tighter around her body so her movements would not betray any of her private parts. She knew as well as Bryce that he's seen everything before but now the way she felt about Chuck it didn't seem right. She didn't care if he had chosen Jill over her. After all, at the time he thought he could have a normal relationship with Jill. She tried not to blame him for that. Maybe at some point in the future if everything worked out...maybe she would have a serious conversation about Jill. But that was for later. Not now.

Her mind flashed back to the CIA agent in front of her. "Yeah, this is about Chuck. But I'm going to meet a guy that may have some information on his whereabouts and he's dangerous. I could really use a little backup." She wasn't sure by the look on Bryce's face whether he would stay and help or not.

"How dangerous? Who are you meeting with?"

"Yuri Karlanov."

Sarah watched as a mixture of emotions showed on Bryce's face. But the one he ended up keeping was anger. "You asked Yuri Karlanov for help in finding Chuck? Sarah what were you thinking?"

Sarah began to get mad and as she did her body moved so that the towel was not always in front of her. When she noticed that Bryce's eyes left hers for what peeked out from behind the towel her anger boiled over. She dropped the towel on the floor in front of her.

"Better…happy now? You finally getting to see what you're want?"

To Bryce's credit he raised his eyes to met hers and never wavered. The anger was gone from his voice as her spoke. "Sarah, Karlanov is not someone to trifle with. He's a very dangerous man." Bryce saw the determined look on Sarah's face and lowered his eyes to his own shoes. "Get dressed. We'll talk when your through," he said.

X-X

At ten O'clock sharp Sarah walked through the bus station looking for Yuri. Bryce followed her about thirty yards behind. He never looked at her directly but always to someone just to the side of her so he could see her through his peripheral vision.

It took Sarah a few moments to spot Yuri. She had begun to think that maybe he had decided to skip the meeting. She knew the only way he would do that is if he had more money to be gained elsewhere.

She finally spotted him and breathed a sigh of relief followed immediately by the sickening feeling that only Yuri Karlanov gave her.

She walked directly towards him holding a brown leather bag which contained over two hundred thousand dollars. Just as she got close enough he signaled for her to stop. She did as she was instructed.

"I take it that you've brought the money?"

Sarah sat the bag down and kicked it to Yuri with her right leg. "Do you have any information on the voicemail yet?"

"Fake. It's a good one. Maybe the best I've ever heard… but it's a fake."

Sarah was both relieved and disappointed at the same time. Relieved that Chuck and not called her asking for help before getting taken off the phone call. Disappointed in that her one and only lead was bogus.

There was only one group that would send her a bogus email of Chuck. Someone that wanted to find him as much as she did. Only for different reasons…fulcrum. They must have sent her the tape hoping that she would lead them to Chuck. They had no way of knowing that she had been taken off the intersect project.

"I guess the question I have-"

Sarah saw Yuri's eyes dart from her to someone behind her. She hoped and prayed that it wasn't Bryce. She knew that her prayer had fallen on deaf ears when Yuri turned his attention back to her.

"Who is your friend?"

Sarah wanted to lie and say she didn't know what he was talking about and try to stick to that story but she knew Yuri too well. There would be no way she could convince him that his instincts were wrong. They were why he was alive today.

"Someone I work with. I thought it would be wise to have someone watching over my shoulder. I'm sure you've got someone watching over yours."

"Difference is…you called me."

"Yuri, it's not like-"

"Bring him here. I want to meet him."

Sarah wanted to argue but knew better. She slowly turned and spotted Bryce signaling for him to join her. She wasn't sure but she thought she saw fear in his eyes for a split second.

When Bryce was standing beside Sarah Yuri smiled and licked his teeth. "You are?"

"Bryce Larkin."

"OK, Bryce Larkin. How do you know Katie?"

If you didn't know that Bryce had never heard Sarah being referred to as Katie you would never have known. He didn't miss a beat when he said that they sometimes worked together.

Yuri looked at Sarah but it was clear from the tone of his voice that his question was meant for Bryce.

"Have you ever slept with her? Yes or no?"

Sarah did not dare look at Bryce for fear Yuri would think she was somehow signaling him for the right answer.

"Yes."

"Are you in love with her?"

Bryce's jaw muscle began to work because he really didn't want to answer this question but he knew from Yuri's reputation that lying to him was not healthy.

"Yes."

Again Yuri smiled and licked his teeth. "Does she love you?"

"She did."

Only then did Yuri remove his eyes from Sarah back to Bryce. "Go back over there where you were," Yuri said and watched Bryce leave Sarah and himself alone.

Yuri looked back to Sarah. "I have the whereabouts of John Casey."

Sarah's voice grew more excited than she wanted. "Where, where is he?"

"First, we have to talk about what service you are to provide for me."

"OK, what do you want me to do?"

Yuri's eyes bored deep into Sarah's. "I want you to kill Bryce Larkin."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: OK, I know there are a lot of Bryce haters out there but I haven't made up my mind about him yet. This may be a slightly more sympathetic view of Bryce than some of you would like. Who knows maybe I'll have Yuri rip his tongue out before it's over. lol

Sarah vs Missing Asset

Chapter Three

"Sarah, there's no way that I'm going to help you go after Yuri Karlanov, it's just insane, especially unsanctioned without the proper support." Bryce stood in Sarah's hotel room with his fists clenched and the muscle in his jaw working overtime.

"Have you forgotten that I've agreed to kill you within the next forty eight hours?"

"Well no. That's not easy to forget. But I'm saying that to continue to go after Chuck when you have to go through Yuri to get to him is suicide…And I'm not going to be a part of you getting yourself killed."

"That's very noble of you Bryce, always putting me first," Sarah said with as much sarcasm as she could muster.

"Look Sarah, this is not about us. This is about doing what's right."

"You're damn right it's not about us. There is no us."

"Well now that you brought that up I guess we'll go there. Since when is there no us. Because if you stopped by to see me to let me know, I must have missed that or maybe you called me to tell me it's over. Or, maybe you used the old Dear John text message. No wait I didn't even get that. So Sarah, I gotta ask you. How was I supposed to know that we were through?" Bryce's voice had risen to a shout.

"You know how things are in this line of work. I couldn't just drop what I was doing to come see you." Sarah was not backing down.

"That explains you not dropping by…what about the phone?"

"Bryce, why are you being like this?"

"Because Sarah, from my point of view you've been cheating on me with my best friend."

"That's ridicules. Chuck and I have not acted on the way we feel. I'm not even sure if he will have me. He wants a normal girl"

"That's bullshit Sarah and you know it. I deserved to hear it from you that we were over. If you think that not showing up at our rendezvous was a proper way to say that everything we had was over, then I fell sorry for Chuck if he does ever hook up with you."

"Come on Bryce at least admit the real reason you don't want to help me." Sarah fixed her best accusatory look onto Bryce. She knew deep down that Bryce was right but now she was too mad to admit it. She knew that later on she would apologize to him.

"Yeah, I'll admit it. I don't like the idea of you with him. You happy? I thought we had something together."

Sarah's expression softened. "Bryce, we did have something. The two years we had together were the best of my life until this last mission. I don't know how he did it. I didn't want to fall in love with him. But somehow his…honesty and…integrity and just his, I don't know just everything about him. It just…just touched a spark within my heart.

I can't explain it any better than that."

Sarah's tone and vulnerability as she spoke of Chuck had completely disarmed Bryce and he let a single tear escape his eye before wiping it abruptly. "Ok Sarah, I get how you feel about Chuck but you can't go after Yuri Karlanov. It will get you killed."

"Not if I have your help."

Bryce turned away in anguish. "You're gonna do this whether I help you or not aren't you?"

Sarah was near tears as well as she saw how this was hurting Bryce. "I'm sorry…I don't have a choice. I have to find him. I'm not going on without letting him know that I'm…well that I'm thinking of him and that I want us to be together." She suddenly looked away to wipe her own tears. "The rest is up to him."

Now it was Bryce's turn to look accusatory. He stared directly into Sarah's eyes. "I can't believe you're willing to ask me to do this. First, I could loose my job with the CIA or maybe even be arrested. Secondly, you're asking me to help you walk away from me. Do you know how callous that seems to me right now?"

Sarah's tears flowed freely with that and she didn't even try to hide them. She looked away as though she were at a loss for words when she suddenly turned back to Bryce. "All I can say to you is this…if I were talking to Chuck right now about him helping me find you so I could be with you." She stared hard into his eyes to drive home her point. "He would help…even if it broke his heart."

Bryce looked away with a groan. He knew that Sarah was right about Chuck. He also knew that if he walked out that door he was saying goodbye to Sarah forever, which would not be that long in her case because Bryce was sure that she would get killed in the process of stealing the information that Yuri had.

"If I help you… we do this my way. No unnecessary risks."

Sarah smiled brightly and closed the distance on Bryce. She wrapped her arms around him but immediately felt the cold rigid body of her former lover. She knew immediately that she had asked too much of him and although he could not refuse her, it had cost her someone she had hoped would be a lifelong friend. She backed away without looking at him.

He let her off the hook by clearing his throat. "So, what's your plan?"

"My plan is this. Yuri is confident. In fact, he's overconfident. He will never expect me to break into his compound and steal the information. I say we do this like we've done a hundred other jobs. Spend some time surveying the place then tonight I go in and take what I need. You will find a location where you can be my angel."

"You're serious? You go in alone and depend on me with a sniper rifle to keep you safe?"

"Why not? We've done it before."

Bryce knew that they had been very successful using this strategy in the past but he was worried about Sarah being in the same room with Yuri after he found out that Sarah was trying to cheat him.

"Alright. I don't like it but I don't see a better way. I take it you know where he is?"

"Yeah, I know."

That reminded Bryce of something Yuri had said. "Sarah, why did Yuri call you Katie? He sounded like he had known you for a long time or something."

"Katie was a cover name," she said lying. "Yeah, we go back a few years." She then changed the subject so deftly that Bryce was unaware that he had been steered away from a sensitive topic for Sarah.

"Why don't we take a drive and get a ten thousand foot view of the area. We'll make plans based on what we learn from the reconnoitering."

Bryce nodded in response and Sarah started for the door.

X-X

"He uses that warehouse as an office. See those workers over there? They are all armed. I don't know for sure but I think Yuri has about thirty men on his payroll. About half of them are muscle. The rest will be specialists of one kind or another."

Sarah drove slowly past the warehouse as she spoke. She also pointed out what she thought was a strategic position for a sniper.

"Yuri's office is on the second floor, third window over. That's where I need to be tonight."

"You sure know an awful lot about his compound." Bryce continued to look at the sniper's position as he talked.

"I told you before, I know Yuri from a long time ago. I've been in his office once before. Come on, let's get back to my hotel and figure out how we're going to do this."

Bryce looked at Sarah for a long time but failed to get her to return his gaze. He thought there was more to the story than what Sarah was saying but he knew her well enough to realize it was futile to get her to talk if she didn't want to.

They rode in silence back to her hotel room.

X-X

"Look, I don't doubt that you can get past the security system. That's not the issue. I'm just saying that I know how you are. You will push it to the limit taking way too many chances when you get in there. This is not the time to take risks." Bryce was serious. He was legitimately concerned for Sarah's safety.

"You tell me there's someone coming and I'll get out of there as fast as I can. I promise to listen, OK?"

Bryce didn't answer. Instead he gave her a look that said he doubted she would have that kind of self control. He'd never known her to have it in the past. He knew this time what drove her was personal. He was pretty sure her assurances would be meaningless once she got inside Yuri's office.

"When are we going to do this?" he asked.

"We'll take up positions around nine PM and then wait for an opportunity."

Bryce looked at her without speaking for a long time and then stood and walked to the door. "I'll be back at eight thirty," he said and left abruptly.

Sarah watched him leave without expression. She knew later that she would have the opportunity to feel sorry for Bryce but not now. She could not afford to loose the focus.

She put the chain on the door and engaged the secondary lock. She lay on the bed looking out the window, looking at the city. The new moon was low in the sky. She remembered watching the moon on the beach with Chuck so many times. Some time they were working and sometimes they were just hanging out. She wondered where he was and if he was looking at the same moon now. It made her heart ache to think of him and not have a way to contact him. To let him know how she felt.

When Jill had showed up as much as it hurt her she was prepared to step aside and give Chuck what he wanted…what he needed. That's why she did not feel that sorry for Bryce. If she had asked Bryce to do something she was not willing to do herself that would have been another thing altogether. But she had already done what she had asked Bryce to do. She had stepped aside because she had fallen in love with a man who was better off loving someone else. At least that's what she thought at the time. But now that Jill turned out to be a Fulcrum Agent, she had changed her mind. Maybe it had to do with wanting something you can't have. She didn't know. But she did know that this time she wasn't going to let anything stand in her way of at least telling him that she loved him. She would leave the rest up to him. That is if she found him.

She sighed deeply before turning away from the window. The hustle and bustle of the city was just a reminder to her that she was alone and isolated. She wanted…no she needed Chuck in order to feel complete. She had decided that she was going to find him even if it meant going through Yuri Karlanov to get to him. Bryce was right to be concerned for her. She knew that Yuri had answers and she wasn't leaving until she got them.

X-X

"I'm in. Can you see me?" Sarah said into her transmitter.

"Roger that. OK, get busy. I don't have a good feeling about this. I want you out of there as soon as possible. Got it?" Bryce's voice was short and clipped.

"Got it, now let me get to work."

Sarah moved around the large office using a small penlight to see. She wished she would have had night vision goggles but she could not ask the CIA for equipment on this job.

She went to the large oak desk and much to her shock, found a folder of Bryce Larkin on the desk. This gave her an uneasy feeling. Why would Yuri have a folder on Bryce? She thought.

She looked for more information but found none. She knew that Yuri would keep the important stuff under lock and key either in his desk or in a safe. She looked around for a safe but didn't find anything. Pulling out her lock pick set, she went to work on Yuri's desk. She found it surprisingly hard but in a mater of minutes she had it unlocked.

Right on top was a folder on John Casey. She pulled it open and began to read.

"Just spotted our friend getting out of his car. He's heading up get out of there now," Bryce said in a whispered tone.

"Yeah, I hear you just one second. I'm looking for Casey's location. It'll only take a second."

"You've only got about sixty seconds before he's in the building. You'd better start putting things back in order now."

Sarah started thumbing through pages of Casey's file looking for his current location. She stopped when she came across a page of interest. She read the name of his new partner Amanda Irving. But then her breathe caught in her throat when she saw that Amanda was a Fulcrum double agent.

With the feeling of Chuck being in imminent danger she pressed for more information knowing that Yuri was closing in on her.

"You had better be out of that office in twenty seconds or you better hope I get a good shot."

Sarah ignored him.

She quickly searched the file below Casey's and found nothing. She knew that she was out of time. Her fear of Yuri had been at war with her fierce need to protect Chuck. She sat down in Yuri's Chair and waited for the man to open the door to his office.

"Sarah, if you're not out of his office now find a place to hide because you're out of time," Bryce said anxiously.

Had Bryce been able to see Sarah's expression, he would have recognized that she had settled in for a fight. But he hurriedly aimed his rifle at Yuri's office hopping to get a quick shot once he heard what Sarah had to say. Just the tone of her voice alone told him what she intended to do.

"Don't shot unless I give the order. Yuri must have the Intel in his head…and I aim to get it," she said and then turned off her receiver.

The last sound she heard was that of her former lover screaming her name.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This is pretty dark and violent. Readers beware. Guess I'm in one of those moods. Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Four

Sarah sat down at Yuri's desk and waited for Yuri to enter his office. She put her feet up and mentally forced herself to relax. She knew that she had never been in more danger in her life. Not in ten years of CIA service had she been as close to death as she was right now. She quickly glanced out the office window, she couldn't see him in the dark but she knew he was there. On a mission Bryce was the equivalent of Chuck in her private life. She knew that she could always count on him. Count on his instincts.

"Bryce, no mater what happens do not fire unless I give the command. You better listen to me on this."

X-X

On top of the roof a building away Bryce Larkin was focused on the door of the office Sarah occupied. He blinked numerous times to keep the tears from blurring his vision. He had known Sarah for some time. He had never seen her this far out in space. He knew in his spirit that Sarah had completely given her heart to Chuck Bartowski and at this point she was willing to give up her life for the chance to find him.

That knowledge hurt.

He put that behind him now. First and foremost he wanted to make sure she walked out of that office. The only way he believed that that would happen is if he were to put his first shot between Yuri's eyes.

X-X

Sarah heard a hand on the office door and steeled herself to pull this off.

Yuri opened the door and turned on the light. Although he only showed surprise on his face for an instant, Sarah saw it and noted it with a sense of accomplishment.

Yuri silently regarded her for a moment. "I guess this means you've decided against killing Larkin for me?" His jaw muscle worked vigorously as he regarded her.

Sarah didn't want to anger him too soon. She knew that she needed information before Yuri got so incensed that he lost control of himself and blindly attacked. She wanted to control when everything went down.

"I was hedging my bets. If I have to kill Larkin I will. My preference is not to…but I need that information," Sarah said hoping that Yuri would become interested again why she needed it.

Yuri took a purposeful step towards her. "You're in my seat."

Sarah found it curious that he stop where he was and waited for her next move. She decided she wanted him talking. Sliding her feet off the desk and stepping out of the chair she risked moving towards him and around his desk instead of away from him. It was all calculated to show that she was not frightened, to keep him guessing. She then sat in the chair on the other side of his desk. She knew for sure that Bryce would have a perfect shot at Yuri while he sat at his desk. The only problem was that she needed Yuri alive at least until he told her the location of John Casey and what Amanda Irving's mission was.

Yuri sat down in his chair opposite of her. His eyes bored into her like lasers. He stared like this for some time before speaking.

"What are you doing here Katie? I mean why are you here, really?"

Sarah was puzzled. There was a difference in Yuri's attitude. He still had that confident bravado that he always had but there was something different about him. He seemed more reserved, more cautious than normal.

"I told you Yuri, I need the location of John Casey."

"Katie, I'm going to ask you one more time and this time I would suggest you answer me. Why do you want to know where he is?"

That's when Sarah knew that somehow Yuri was connected to Amanda Irving or Fulcrum. They must have found a way to get to him. Sarah knew that in Yuri's business it was suicide not to stay neutral. He couldn't afford to align himself with any one faction in the espionage world, to be beholden to one group over another. So, the question was…why had he?

She quickly calculated everything she knew about Yuri from their past and then added in what she had discovered from the files on his desk. She came to one decision and prayed that she was correct.

"Yuri, this is not business it is personal."

His brow drew down. "Personal how?"

Sarah looked away for a second embarrassed to speak of personal maters in front of this sociopath. "It has to do with love." She finally looked up to meet his eyes. She could not read the change in his expression.

"I see. Why has he left without leaving you a way to contact him?" Yuri seemed to stare at her even deeper. Sarah knew that he was looking to see if she was lying.

"He had no choice." Sarah did not elaborate and by the look on her face Yuri knew that she had no intention of saying more.

"This obviously means a lot to you. Only a stupid person would come into my office and try to cheat me like this," he said his voice becoming low and menacing. "And I know you're not a stupid person. But it is a mistake." Yuri took a deep breath and then looked at his desk. Sarah saw that he noticed the files. His eyes left the file of John Casey and locked onto hers.

"You're willing to get yourself killed in order to find this Casey?"

"If it comes to that. But I'm hoping we can reach some other agreement."

Yuri laughed. "We had an agreement. I don't alter my agreements. Bad for business." Yuri's face took on a deadly expression. "Katie, why don't you ask your CIA spy to come on in? I know he's out there somewhere." Yuri nodded towards the window.

Sarah's expression turned just as dark. "Yuri, my name's not Katie and I have no intention of calling Bryce in here."

Yuri smiled as he understood the nature of her visit. But along with the smile, someone that would have been close to him would have noticed something foreign to his countenance. Concern, only a hint mind you but it was there. For some reason, Yuri knew that the woman sitting across the desk from him was deadlier than her appearance suggested.

"And?" he said.

"And…I'm not leaving this office until I get that address."

Had Sarah had the receiver to her earplug on she would have heard Bryce screaming at her to run. But she heard none of it.

So there they sat staring at one another. Sarah had one of the four knives in her leg band ready as she waited for Yuri to make the first move. She thought she had anticipated his jumping out of his chair to come straight over the desk at her. She knew if he got his huge hands on her the fight was over.

What she had not anticipated was that he would stand up and actually toss the whole desk at her. He had moved a two to three hundred pound desk as though it were a card table. Sarah barely got out of the way by diving to her right and once she was stable she threw the first of her knives at Yuri's chest.

Much to her surprise he just batted it away with his hand. As he began to walk towards her, she threw another and then another with the same result. She was down to her last two throwing knives when the office door burst open and Bryce came running in firing his Berretta at Yuri.

Yuri dove out of the way and picked up a paper weight that had fallen to the floor from his desk and threw it at Bryce striking him in the head and dazing him just long enough for Yuri to grab him around the waist and squeeze.

Sarah could hear the sickening snapping of bones as she hurried to get into position to save Bryce but she knew in an instant that she was too late. Her survival instinct kicked in and she positioned herself on the far side of the office giving her as much room to maneuver as possible.

Sarah grabbed her last remaining throwing knives and positioned them in her right hand holding them by the blades. She stood up straight and stared at the behemoth facing her on the other side of the room.

Yuri took one step forward with a sly smile on his face. "You're gonna die no mater what your name-" His sentence was cut short from one of Sarah's knives cutting into his throat.

Sarah had thrown her last two knives together at the same time aiming one for Yuri's lower midsection and the other for his neck. She had guessed correctly that his automatic response would be to protect his privates and she was right. He had knocked that blade from reaching its mark.

She ran to Yuri before he had a chance to pull the blade free ramming her elbow into his sternum, incapacitating him further.

With her hand in control of the blade in Yuri's neck, Sarah now had control of Yuri.

"Where's John Casey?" She hesitated while drilling into his eyes with her own. "I won't ask again.

Yuri Karlanov was a man having a bad day. He knew if he did not tell Sarah what she wanted to know, she would pull the knife across his jugular and it didn't mater how strong he was then, he was a dead man. On the other hand, if he told her the whereabouts of her lover John Casey, he would have a Fulcrum hit squad after him and his elderly father. The only man in the world he loved.

His face showed the strain from the pain he felt.

Sarah had started to put pressure on his throat with the knife. Yuri had thought that he would die rather than give up the information that would inevitably kill his father but when he felt that pressure he broke.

"Cedar Rapids…There in Cedar Rapids, I swear."

Yuri closed his eyes to concentrate. The pain in his throat made it hard to think.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She put more pressure on his throat to make her point.

"Reach into my coat pocket and pull out my cell phone. I've had a call from a fulcrum agent there that's with your boyfriend."

Sarah didn't bother to correct him. "You pull it out and show me. And it better be a cell phone I see or your janitor is gonna have a big mess to clean up."

Yuri pulled his phone from his coat pocket and handed it to her.

"No, find the number and show me."

Yuri almost whimpered from the pain and having to keep doing Sarah's commands. But he complied. When Sarah saw the number with a 319 area code she look back at Yuri.

"Make the call." She had gotten very calm. Yuri had never been in this situation himself as the victim but he had been the perpetrator enough times to know that the calm voice of the woman he knew as Katie signaled that he was very close to dying. One wrong move and his life was over.

Yuri pressed the button and Sarah took the phone from him. She put it on speaker and then met Yuri's eyes as she waited for the phone to be answered.

"Hello…hello. Yuri is that you?"

Sarah disconnected the call and threw the phone on the floor beside them.

"Who was that?"

"Her name is Amanda Irving, she works for fulcrum."

"Why is she with John Casey?"

"I don't know. There looking for something and believe John is the key to finding it."

Sarah looked him hard. "Is there anything else you think I would want to know?"

"Look, I've told you everything I know." He had started to sweat profusely.

"How am I going to make sure you don't warn them?" Sarah's voice still had the ice of a murderer within it.

"Don't kill me Katie. I swear I will-"

Sarah pulled the knife across his neck with as much force as she could almost decapitating Yuri. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud.

"That's for Bryce," Sarah said still meeting his gaze.

Although he tried he could not speak and within an instant his eyes glassed over in death.

Sarah ran to Bryce who was lying on the floor unable to move. She was surprised to see that he did not seem to be in any pain.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Bryce. She pulled out her phone and began to dial 911.

"Sarah, don't."

When she met his eyes she knew what he was really asking of her and tears filled and then ran out of her eyes.

"Bryce, please no."

"Just leave the gun…Sarah I can't live like this. I don't want to be the brave man in a wheelchair for the next fifty years. Just leave the gun when you go."

Sarah took a deep breath to compose herself. She looked into his eyes and tried her best to smile.

"Bryce when I met you I was broken. My heart was broken. Not from love but from the lack of love. I didn't how to love or how to accept love. But then I met you and although I tried to tell you I wasn't interested you wouldn't listen until finally, little by little, very slowly, I began to feel something for you." Sarah wiped the tears from her eyes. She laughed through her crying as she continued. "You brought me to this point. I don't think another person on the planet could have done what you did." Sarah looked out the widow into the darkness of the night. "But now I have to find Chuck to see what my heart can learn from him. And as much as you where the only man who could have brought me to this point…he is the only man that can carry me further."

Sarah looked back at the broken man that lay beneath her. "Please don't hate me. I just have to do this."

Bryce tried to smile at her. His eyes filled with tears as well. "Sarah, I could never hate you. I will love you until my last breath."

Sarah let out a jerking sob as she buried her head in Bryce's chest. She cried like that for what seemed like an hour to her. But then slowly, she knew it was time to leave….leave Bryce forever.

She reached over and grabbed his gun and put it in his hand she then moved his arm so that it was in the right position to do the will of its master.

Standing up, she looked at him one last time. "If things do work out for me I want you to know that I will never forget you. You are the foundation to my happiness. She blew him a sad kiss and then walked towards the door.

"Sarah," Bryce said.

Sarah stopped standing rigidly and did not turn around.

"I hope you find him."

Sarah used every last inch of training not to cry. She knew that Bryce honestly loved her and wanted the best for her. She closed the door behind her expecting the familiar sound of the berretta to break the silence at every instant.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs the sound that she had been expecting startled her anyway.

She stood completely still for a moment and then began to walk again. She walked out of the front door over the pile of men that Bryce had killed getting up to her in that office. She walked calmly towards her car and within the hour was on a plane to Cedar Rapids.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I truly apologize for the long delay. Work is getting in the way of my hobby. Anyway, I hope you like this story. I am trying to do something a little different with this. I would be interested in knowing if you pick up on it.

If everything goes like planned, I can get back to a normal schedule of writing by February.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Five

Sarah walked to the steps of the apartment she had been surveying for the last three days with sweaty palms and her heart was racing so fast she felt as though she was running a marathon.

She waited until she knew that Chuck was alone inside before approaching. She told herself ever since he was taken away that if she got the chance she would not waist the opportunity to let him know how she felt. Bryce's recent death just drove the point home even further that life was too short to let anything you want slip by.

She had been sure for a long time now that she wanted Chuck. She just didn't have the courage to make the first move. Besides, she knew that fraternizing with an asset was unprofessional at best.

Screw professional.

As her hand reached for the doorbell, she knew that six months ago she would not have been able to go through with it but now her hand continued without pause until she pushed the little white button that announced her presence and stepped back to await the occupant to open the door.

Her breath caught as the door began to open. And then suddenly, there he stood in the doorway.

"Sarah!" The look of intense surprise on his face was replaced with an equally strong expression of joy.

They stood looking at each other for an anguishly long time to her. Suddenly, they lunged for each other and wrapped their arms around one another tightly. Sarah hung on to Chuck as hard as she could as though by her desperate embrace alone, she would manage to keep them together.

Chuck finally pulled away from her but his eyes never left hers. After another moment of anguish for Sarah as she waited for Chuck to speak, he leaned forward to kiss her. But just before their lips met, his phone rang. He was startled by the ring and backed away looking at the object of Sarah's frustration to see who had called him. As he did, he turned a little sideways so Sarah could get a look at the phone's screen as well. She was alarmed to see the picture of Amanda Irving smiling sweetly up at Chuck.

Frustration was not the only emotion Sarah felt at that moment. She felt hurt knowing that it used to be her picture Chuck would look at when he got a call from a woman. She felt alarm knowing that agent Irving was a fulcrum agent. And, she felt jealousy as her mind wondered how far Amanda had gone to entice Chuck to be happy with the new situation.

"Hey Mandy, what's up?"

Sarah watched Chuck's face as he spoke to the attractive brunette.

"Sure, see you tonight."

"Who was that Chuck?" Sarah said her voice a little clipped.

"That's Mandy, my new handler." Chuck couldn't help but notice the look on Sarah's face.

"Handler and girlfriend?" she asked.

Chuck looked at Sarah and understood. "No, just handler. Not even a handler even. We are partners on this mission."

Chuck looked into Sarah's eyes and then grabbed her hand pulling her to the couch. After they sat down, he began to talk with her.

"I've missed you so much. I didn't know where you were," he said but wasn't able to speak another word for Sarah attacked his lips with her own.

They kept at it until they both needed to come up for air. And when Sarah pulled away the smile on her face was an expression of pure joy. Chuck had never seen her look so happy in all his time with her.

She had done it. In her own way she had told Chuck how she felt about him. It was a release.

"Chuck, I don't care what we have to do; we have to find a way to be together. I think if we approach Beckman together, I'm pretty sure we can get her to see reason."

The look on Sarah's face turned to puzzlement as she tried to understand the look of concern she now read on Chuck's face.

"Uh, Sarah, we sort of have to talk about our future," Chuck said as he could not raise his eyes to meet hers.

"What about our future?" Her voice was a pitch higher than normal.

"It's complicated."

Sarah moved back away from him. "Do you know what I've had to do to find you?" she said anger slipping inside her voice.

Just as Chuck began to speak, without knocking, in walks a beautiful brunette who had already pulled her gun and had it aimed right at Sarah.

"It's complicated Agent Walker because you're not wanted or needed here."

As she spoke, Chuck got up to stand next to the woman's side. Agent Irving delivered Sarah her most lascivious grin and then grabbed Chuck by the back of the neck pulling him into an extremely decadent, open mouthed kiss that plainly told Sarah that kissing was not all these two had done.

"Chuck, I…thought. I thought you cared for me?"

Now Chuck smiled an equally chilling smile. "I told you it was complicated and began to laugh.

Sarah could not stand it. She could take the rejection. She could take the fact that Chuck had found someone else. But she could not deal with the fact that he cared so little about her that he could laugh at her while she was hurting.

She looked again at the gun pointing her way. And then to the wicked smile on Amanda Irving's face.

She didn't care anymore. She had had enough. She was going to put a bullet through that bitch's head or die trying. She knew that it was probably the latter but she didn't care.

Just as she went for the gun in her purse and saw Irving begin to pull her trigger-

"Miss, could you make sure your seat back is in position? We're preparing for landing."

Sarah shook herself from the intense feelings of hurt and rejection. She was not a superstitious person but this dream unnerved her. Her heart ached for her asset. She couldn't wait for this plane to land so she could go about finding the man she could now admit that she loved.

X-X

The Cedar Rapids Airport was modern but small. It was one long building with two terminals on opposite ends of the building. Sarah thought as she walked from the plane to the rental area in the front of the building that if you've seen one airport you've seen them all. She easily navigated her way to the rental car area and just as she was handed her keys her phone rang.

When she looked at her screen she knew this was not a personal call.

"Walker."

"Agent Walker, you are to turn around get on the first plane out of there. Do I make myself clear?"

"General Beckman, I can help protect Chuck. I-"

"Walker, I'm ordering you to leave that city… now. Don't even step out of that airport."

"Here's the thing General. You're not my boss. You can't order me anywhere."

"I'm warning you agent. If you screw up this mission, I'll have you kicked out of the CIA so fast you won't even know when it happened."

Walker tried once more to reason with her former boss.

"General, pull me into the team. You know I'm passionate about my job."

"Yes, I'm aware of your passion for the job, Agent Walker."

Sarah thought she heard meaning between the lines but before she could respond the General continued.

"But that is not what I need for this mission. You are the worst possible handler for Chuck right now."

And then as though she was upset with herself for being drawn into this conversation with the CIA agent her toned resumed its formal authority.

"I'll not tell you again. Get out of there before you're seen. You don't know what's at stake here."

"I think I do General, and you're mistaken if you think I will allow Chuck's safety to be compromised." Sarah cut the connection and went to find her car.

X-X

"Damit," the general said as she slammed her phone on the table. After a moment she looked to the person sitting across from her desk.

"Do you want me to take care of it?" A blonde military officer asked as if she were asking if the general wanted a cup of coffee.

General Beckman thought about the request. "No, it's just as risky sending in more people. We're going to have to trust Walker's instincts are as good as her reputation."

X-X

Sarah checked into the downtown Holiday Inn and began her preparations for finding Chuck in the relatively small city of one hundred and fifty thousand people. She was well trained and this felt good. She was hidden, undercover so to speak and it felt normal to her.

She pulled out the phone book and turned to the yellow pages. She quickly found the section she was interested in and jotted down three addresses. She thought with a little luck she would know where Chuck lived by tomorrow noon.

She ordered room service and kicked back while she waited for darkness. She would not be able to accomplish what she wanted until it was way past dark. After eating a hamburger and fries, she opened her suitcase and pulled out a pair of scissors and dark black hair dye that she had picked up at the local HiVee grocery store before checking into the Holiday Inn.

Without hesitating she began to cut her long blondehair abovethe shoulder. She cut it to look younger than her twenty eight years. When she was finished she regarded her work with the eyes of a professional spy. Not one thought was given to how it made her look on a personal level. Her only thought was that it gave her a "one of the pack" look.

When she was satisfied with the cut she began to dye her hair. Within ten minutes she was drying it with a towel. Taking the time to nonchalantly wipe off a black streak running down the side of her cheek with her finger she shook her head and surveyed her handiwork. Satisfied she used the hairdryer to finish the job.

She fidgeted about the hotel room until it got dark. She felt like a caged animal, a black panther to be specific due to her new hair color. She watched TV, not something she particularly enjoyed anyway. She ordered room service and tried to read a book that Chuck had given her. She hated to say it but she found it just as boring as the TV. But after what seemed to be a lifetime, she finally deemed it dark enough to venture out.

She smiled as she zipped up the one piece jump suit. She knew that if Chuck would ever see her in this his mouth would drop to the floor. She knew it was revealing in the way that it clung to her body. But that too was calculated. If she were to ever get caught she knew that it would likely be by a man. She knew this outfit was a distraction at the minimum.

She had three addresses written on a sheet of paper. The first address was programmed into the GPS and she followed the directions to her first stop of the night.

She had only a few essentials along for this part of the job. Of course her throwing knives, her berretta, and her assortment of lock picks, both mechanical and electrical in nature.

Fifteen minutes later found her inside the building of the first location. Five minutes after that brought a smile to her face. She held it up to examine. Just what the doctor ordered, she thought.

Thirty minutes later found her back in her downtown hotel room in her pajamas feeling good about how well things had gone so far.

Even though she was anxious to find where Chuck was staying, she was able to get to sleep relatively early and sleep soundly through the night. She was up by six o'clock and out of the exercise room by seven.

She knew that she had time. From training and her own personal experience she knew that it was best not to rush the next phase. It was crucial that she wait until just the right moment. So she took a deep breath and tried to relax.

By ten o'clock she had had her shower and then put on the clothing she had gone to great lengths to acquire last night.

Precisely at 10:30 AM she walked into the main branch of the Cedar Rapids Post Office but only after making sure that the two people behind the counter were males. She knew if there were women present her odds of success were reduced dramatically.

"I'm sorry could one of you two men help me. This is a bit embarrassing but I didn't know who else to ask," she said as she walked up to the counter between both men standing on the other side. Her UPS uniform was the perfect size for this project, exactly one size too small.

"I've got this package and I can make out the first and last name but the address and the routing number have been ripped off. I was hoping one of you guys could help?"

Both men smiled at her and tried to beat the other to the empty counter she had walked up to. The young man on her left got there first.

"You must be new on the job?" he said still grinning ear to ear.

"Yes I am. How did you know that?" she said in her most innocent voice.

The man shared a quick look at his partner before continuing. "Oh just a lucky guess." He cleared his throat as though her were getting down to some serious business. "What's the citizen's name," he said seriously.

It was all Sarah could do not to laugh at the innocence of this guy. For just a moment her mind wondered to another innocent guy she knew but then snapped back to the detail at hand.

She knew that she had to guess whether he would use his real name or his alter ego's. "Charles Carmichael, but that's all I can make out," she said while twisting her right foot around on her tip toes in a semi arc. She could not have looked more innocent if she tried. But of course she knew that.

"You know we're not supposed to give out that information," the guy on her right said seriously. But then her broke into a smile as Sarah's appearance got the best of him.

"I guess it won't hurt…but don't make a habit of this."

Sarah smiled even more sweetly.

"OK, Charles Carmichael just moved into 3712 Blair's Ferry Road. That's over near Blair's Ferry and C Avenue."

"Got it," she said crisply and left without another word leaving the two postal carriers wondering what had just happened.

X-X

Sarah drove slowly past 3712 Blair's Ferry Road she was pleasantly surprised to find the house across street was for sale. She knew she shouldn't draw any attention to herself but she had to try to get a look inside. Against her better judgment, she pulled into the drive of the house for sale. It had one of those brochures in a plastic display in the front yard so she got out of the car and went to grab the marketing sheet for the house.

As she walked back towards the car she pretended to read the brochure but in fact she was watching Chuck's house for any sign or clue as to what was gong on. She hoped to get a glimpse of him through the big picture window in the front of the house.

That's when she noticed a car down the block with two men in it. She wanted to laugh. These two were clearly spooks and they were obviously keeping an eye on Chuck's house. But what she didn't know and what the key question was…were they fulcrum or were they NSA. She didn't know but she knew she had to find out. She also knew that she had been spotted. That was a deal breaker in an operation like this. They probably didn't suspect her of being involved with whatever was going on here but they would if they saw her again.

One of the things that made Sarah the best at what she did was the ability to think fast on her feet. Chuck was the only person she had ever met that was her equal in this regard. She looked at the two men who were clearly watching her now. Then at the marketing sheet she held in her hand. If she had already been spotted then the next best thing was to be so conspicuous that she was not suspicious.

Suddenly, she went into her act. She jumped up and down as she looked at the marketing sheet. She began to squeal with glee. She got into her purse and made a big production of dialing the phone number on the sheet.

After talking for a moment she got into the car and drove away. After thinking about it, she decided this was a better plan than her original one.

As hard as it was for her, she knew that she had to take her time to set the con up right. That night, she stewed around her hotel room; she painted her fingernails, her toes, plucked her eyebrows, she shaved under her arms and her legs, she even touched up her new haircut. That used up the first hour.

She tried to read, that lasted five minutes tops. She turned the TV on but watched it. She thumbed through the USA Today provided by the Holiday Inn but nothing captured her attention.

She finally gave up and thought about her plan for tomorrow. She wanted to relax but she knew now that she was this close to finding Chuck, she was not going to be distracted by a book or some silly TV show.

She had made the appointment to see the house with the real estate agent. His name was Jim Bowman. She had learned that his family was real estate in Cedar Rapids. Sarah already knew what he looked like due to his picture on a huge billboard advertising for Bowman Real Estate.

Getting into the house was only a part of why she wanted to go back in the morning. She really wanted to get a look at the two men keeping an eye on Chuck's house. She wanted to talk to them and see what kind of vibe she picked up from them.

The third reason she wanted to go back was to maybe get a glimpse of Chuck. She knew she needed to know that everything was OK.

Something that had been bothering her was she had not seen Casey. Where was he? Maybe that wasn't so strange she managed to convince herself. She had not seen Chuck yet. Casey was probably wherever Chuck was. For Sarah she had not actually brought her concerns to focus yet. But they were there rummaging around in the back of her mind. Something wasn't right. With so little to go on she still had that…it was less than a feeling. She couldn't describe it because she had not acknowledged it as of yet.

She ordered room service but barely touched her food once it arrived. Around eight thirty, she forced herself into bed and tried to sleep. She used every trick she had been taught to slow her mind down but nothing work. Chuck had defeated all of her training.

She sat up in bed and turned on her bedside lamp. Pulling out her phone she went through every picture she had of Chuck. She lingered over the ones where they were together. As she stared at the pictures she almost could make herself believe that it was all real.

That Chuck and Sarah were real.

She sighed deeply looking at one last picture, her favorite. It was taken by Ellie and showed Chuck with his arm around Sarah's shoulder while she had grabbed him around the waist. She was laughing with her head thrown back.

As she looked at the picture, it all became crystal clear to her. That is what she wanted. Not just Chuck but everything that came with him, a normal life, friends that care about you, family that love you and can be depended upon. And somewhere in the mix was love. She had come to terms with the fact that she loved him. But as she looked at the picture it was clear that she loved everything about him. His family, his friends, the way he lived life. It was what she wanted. She had made a decision. No matter what happened she was going to pursue her dream.

Even if it meant failing.

She sighed heavier this time and sat down her phone. After a second she turned off the light for the last time and went to sleep.

Sarah Walker dreamed happy thoughts of long walks along the beach and romantic candlelit dinners. And nowhere in her dreams was their a gun or spies or even John Casey.

Just Chuck and Sarah.

**A/N: I've had some reviews and PM's of earlier stories that have not been shall we say...glowing. I love it. If you don't like this story, please let me know why. I have thick skin and can take it. If you do like it tell me why. I like to think I use something from each and every comment I get. At the very least I consider the pov. I do this to become a better writer.**


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: OK, I've killed Bryce off which will probably make some of you happy. But as I've said before, I'm not sure of Bryce yet. So this is a little tribute to Chuck's former roommate.

Chapter Six

Sarah awoke around three AM. She didn't remember dreaming but she was drenched in sweat. Bryce came to her mind so immediately that she knew she must have been dreaming of him. That's when it hit her. Bryce was dead. He was dead because of her.

She remembered seeing the pile of bodies out in front of Yuri's warehouse office and knew that Bryce must have risked his life more than once getting to Yuri's office. She knew that he knew what he was rushing headlong into. Yuri had a reputation in the espionage world. He was someone no agent in their right mind would go after. And yet Bryce had killed six men just to reach his office. He knew he was risking death for her.

Sarah Walker tuned over and buried her face in her pillow and sobbed great gasps of anguish. She felt the pain that few people ever do. She willingly put another's life at risk for her own needs and even though she knew he would do it again for her if he could, it wasn't really her right to ask him to give his all for her.

Not now, not after Chuck.

She knew that she would never in a hundred lifetimes ever forget what she had done. And yet she would do it again if that was her only chance of finding Chuck.

She opened her eyes but still saw the damaged body of Bryce lying on the floor unable to move after Yuri had broken his back. She closed them again trying to escape those eyes looking at her imploring her to help him end his life.

After she had cried all the tears she had the strength to cry, she sat up in bed and thought about Bryce. She tried not to think about the end of his life but rather when she first met him as a rookie with the CIA. Sarah was the same age but started earlier in life than Bryce had so she had had almost two years of training under her belt when he had started.

She remembered how confident he had always been. That's what had attracted her to him initially. To say that she was initially attracted to him was incorrect. He was invisible to her just like any other man. She just wasn't interested. Her focus had been single minded in her pursuit of perfection as an agent.

She smiled through her tears as she thought back to the first time he had actually made an impression on her. They had been taking a class on humane physiology and they had just finished taking a test. Sarah had always finished at the top of her class. Not this time. She remembered looking over at him when his name was called with the highest score. She thought that he would lord it over her. But he never mentioned it. Instead, he asked her out like he had the last seven days in a row. She was glad that he had worn her down. If he'd not then she would not be able to love Chuck the way she now did. And as she thought about what Bryce meant to her and to Chuck she sat up in bed. She knew that now was not the time but she promised Bryce that she would do her best to make sure his family knew that he died for his country.

Sarah got out of bed and got a drink of water. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had looked better before. Her eyes were puffy and her mascara had run down her face. As she looked at herself in the mirror, she was struck with a thought that sent fear into her heart. _What if all of this is for nothing? What if after finding Chuck and telling him how I feel, that he cannot return my love?_

She weakly made it back to the edge of the bed. She didn't really sit down it was more that her legs gave out and she fell on the bed. She had thought in the past that maybe Chuck didn't feel the same way she did. But now as she sat on her hotel bed with her hair tangled and wet from tears, her eyes black and swollen, she didn't really see how he could possibly return her love and she felt like she did as a young kid. She did not like the feeling of being less than everyone else. With effort she put those thoughts out of her mind. In the past when she felt this way towards a relationship she would always turn away and bury herself into her work.

Not this time.

She was willing to risk everything, even Chuck's rejection of her to have a life with him.

She took a deep breath and steeled her mind to focus on what she had to do in the morning. She told herself she was closer now than a couple of days ago when she didn't even know what state he was in. Now she knew the very house he was living in. Things were much better now. All she had to do was figure out what was going on and determine how much danger Chuck was in. She wished she could find John Casey and talk with him but she knew that he would probably be of no help to her on this mission. He was strictly a company man and if anything he would turn her in.

She lay back down and pulled the covers over her shoulders. As she looked at the ceiling she thought about Chuck and what part he played in this mission. That's when her ability to focus kicked in.

"That's what's not right about this," she said. It had been in the back of her mind since the beginning. Why was Chuck involved on a mission with Fulcrum agents? It didn't make sense. It's the last place General Beckman would send Chuck…unless…the stakes where high enough to warrant the risk.

Sarah pulled the covers away from her body and got out of bed. Her movements were quick and aggravated. "Of course," she said. Thinking back to her conversation with the General in the Cedar airport, she felt relief that she began to put some pieces of the puzzle together. "What did she say? That I was the last person she would want on this mission." Sarah paced back and forth to side of her bed as she thought.

She stopped dead in her tracks as she remembered Beckman saying that she knew that Sarah was passionate about her work. Sarah used her extraordinary memory to recall every detail of the general's tone.

"She knows I'm in love with him." As she said it out loud she could not deny to herself what that meant. Chuck was in more danger than the general felt comfortable about having Sarah on the mission. Not because she doubted that Sarah would be able to protect Chuck at all costs but that on this mission Chuck would not be protected at all costs. There was a more important target than even the intersect.

Sarah put her hand over her eyes and rubbed them with her thumb and finger. Sarah knew that Chuck was in more danger than she had dared to imagine, but not from the Fulcrum agents. On this mission he was considered expendable. The thought sent shivers through Sarah's body.

She sat back down on the bed. _The CIA are going after a target so valuable that they are willing to risk Chuck to get their target, she thought. That's why they don't have me on this mission. They know Chuck would be my top priority and they don't want that now. They know I've fallen for him._

She didn't know what to do. She didn't have enough information to make a decision on how to proceed. She felt paralyzed with fear. Fear that she would not be able to save Chuck. For some reason she thought of Bryce again.

_Bryce gave his life to save me, even though he knew why I needed the information that Yuri had. _Sarah's resolved returned. She knew that the only way Bryce death would be in vain was if she didn't follow through with this.

The thought of Bryce that had brought her so much anguish just a few minutes ago, was now a comfort to her. If he believed in her enough to risk his life for her even though he knew she was looking for Chuck, then she would do the same for Chuck. She would find out what was going on and then she could decide what her next move would be.

She got back under the cover and looked at the clock. It was 4:30 AM. She turned out the light and tried to turn off her mind.

Just before drifting back to sleep, she silently thanked Bryce again for being there for her, even if only in her thoughts. She knew that she would have to pay the devil later for Bryce's death but for now she would be thankful that he was always on her side.

Her last thought was of a smiling Bryce Larkin just after she said she would have dinner with him for the first time.

She took comfort in the fact that Bryce was still smiling as she drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I hope this is keeping most of you entertained. It is very introspective and those of you who like action may find this boring. With only one character I can understand if you do. I would really like to hear from you if you do find it boring. It will tell me a lot. Of course I would like to hear from you if you enjoyed it too.**

**I would like to know that if you read and don't review...does that mean you don't like the story? Are you lukewarm about the story" So I'm asking for information. If you like the story...let me know. If you don't like the story...let me know. I would appreciate it. **

**OK, I received a review that told me I've got unnecessary details in this chapter. I've reread and don't know if I agree. I would like to hear from you. Have I slowed the story down with unnecessary details??? Let me know.**

**LeeCan**

Chapter Seven

Sarah awoke early. She thought briefly about last night. But as she got out of bed and put her feet on the floor, she began to think about the future and the promise of hope that it brought. It was unconscious on her part but she had made a distinction between the certain despair of the past and the promise of hope for the future. Bryce was the past and although she would never forget him she needed to concentrate on the future. Concentrate on why she was here. Chuck.

She had not seen him yet. In fact she didn't even know why she was certain that he was here. She was going on the word of Yuri Karlanov and that was risky at best but then there was the general's reaction to her being in Cedar. But even that could have been an act to throw her off.

And yet she didn't worry about any of it. She knew. She knew that Chuck was here and if he needed her she would be here too.

As she stepped out of the shower, she checked the time. _I've got time for breakfast, she thought. _She put her makeup on and brushed her hair before putting on her clothes. That's when she thought about the time that she and Chuck went into the shower together in just their underwear. She knew that he had noticed her because she had caught him looking at her. She smiled at the memory of seeing his expression when he realized that he had been caught. What he didn't know is that she had checked him out as well. She was just better at covert observation.

She wondered briefly what it would be like if Chuck was here with her now. Her imagination took over as she saw him walk up behind her and drape his arms around her shoulders just above her breasts. He kissed her neck once and then again.

Sarah actually turned her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck. She still had an expression of delight on her face as she looked back to the mirror.

She knew that she was beautiful. She had had too many men not only tell her that for years, but they acted like fools in her presence. It reinforced in her over time that she was indeed beautiful.

But she had never felt beautiful inside…at least not until Chuck. She didn't know what it was that he did to her but somehow when she was with him she felt as beautiful as apparently other men saw her to be.

She regarded her naked form in the mirror and thought back to her imaginary Chuck kissing her neck. _God, if you're real…make that a reality. I've never asked you for anything but please. I want this more than anything I've ever wanted… I've ever known. _She focused back to the mirror. She saw the tears in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away so they would not ruin her makeup. For some reason that brought her back to reality and she put her yearnings behind her and began to focus on her day.

She ate the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. _A continental breakfast is a continental breakfast, she thought._ Scrambled eggs, sausage and toast with jelly got her started. While eating her breakfast, she noticed three businessmen looking at her.

One of them actually came to her table and asked if she was free tonight. She made a point of looking at his wedding ring.

Meeting his eyes she responded. "I don't find cheats particularly attractive." Sarah watch the man slink away after giving her an apologetic smile that seemed to say, _it doesn't hurt to try_.

She stood and walk out of the dining area knowing that most men were watching her leave. As she stepped out of the hotel, she was greeted by sub freezing temperatures. The wind whipped about her like a cyclone. Wrapping her coat around her tightly, she walked to her car and drove back to the house for sale across from where she believed Chuck was staying.

As she pulled into the driveway, she scrutinized Chuck's house closely in the rearview mirror. She saw that the blinds were open now. But she saw no activity or movement inside.

She knew the chance of Chuck recognizing her with short black hair was remote although if Casey was there he would be more likely to see through her disguise. She waited until the real estate agent drove up before getting out of the car.

When he did she quickly went into her happy housewife act. She had told him that her husband had been transferred here and that she was on a house hunting trip.

He greeted her enthusiastically and they went into the house.

"There are new hardwoods throughout the house, except for the kitchen and the bathrooms which all have ceramic tile," he said.

"It's very nice," Sarah said as she walked into the kitchen pretending to be interested in the house. "I love the cabinets," she said and walked into the living room which had the best view of the house across the street. She walked up to the large picture window in the front. "I just love the view." She looked at the large window in the house across from her and saw someone walk across her line of vision. She wasn't sure but she thought she recognized Chuck. She waited hoping to see more of him but stood for as long as she dared before moving on to the rest of the house.

After making their way throughout the house, the real estate agent finally made his play. "This house hasn't been on the market that long. I doubt if it will be around for much longer."

"Oh really, the MLS says it's been on the market for eight months. The price has dropped five times."

"Ah, yeah, I guess I was thinking of another house," he said not able to meet her gaze.

"Look, I'm not ready to buy a house yet. And especially not at this price," she said as she walked towards the door.

"Would you be interested in renting it?"

Sarah turned around and regarded the man with raised eyebrows.

"I mean I just found out today that the owners need some additional cash flow while they pay on two mortgages. They are willing to rent it by the month."

Sarah began to smile broadly. "How much?"

"Twelve hundred the first months and nine hundred a month afterwards."

Sarah knew that she had over two hundred thousand to work with. "I'll take it. But only if I can move in today."

"No problem. If I can get a check from you I will get the keys."

"Great, when can we make the exchange?" She winced internally realizing that she sounded like she was exchanging secret documents and not real estate papers.

"Drop by my office around lunch, maybe we could go out for a bite to eat?"

Sarah looked at him for a moment. She did not like what she saw. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"No no, nothing like that."

"Then what is it like?"

Jim Bowman saw that he was going nowhere. "I'm sorry. It's just that I thought it was worth a shot."

Sarah adopted a much haughtier attitude as she walked over to the large window and looked across the street. "You don't have a clue about the kind of man that interests me," she said absent mindedly.

Finally, she turned toward him. "Just be at your office at noon. I'll drop by then to give you the check." She went to the door and waited for him to follow. They left the house without another word.

She waited in the car for him to leave. His car was parked behind her. She then noticed the two men parked at the same spot they had been yesterday. She dug into her purse and found the object she was interested in. Pulling it out, she looked back to see where Jim Bowman was. She looked up just in time to see his car go around the corner and out of sight.

She took a deep breath and quickly glanced at the house across the street. Not seeing anyone, she got out of the car and pretended to look around the outside of the house. After putting on the show for a few minutes, she noticed the men sitting in the car and waived at them in her best girlish waive.

After another second, she walked toward the car.

The two men watched her approach with expressionless faces. When she stood beside the car, she pecked on the window with her car keys.

The driver of the car lowered the window and then looked at Sarah and tried to act like he belonged to the neighborhood.

"Hello again," he said trying to sound friendly.

"Hi, I'm thinking about buying that house right there." She pointed in her cutest manner to the house across from their target. "And I was wondering if you could tell me if this is a safe neighborhood?" She leaned over giving both men a healthy view of her cleavage.

The two men glanced at each other and then back to the cleavage. "Yeah, it's very ample, I mean safe," the driver said still looking at her breasts.

"Hey, what are you guys doing out here still?"

"Where waiting on our buddy," the driver said nervously.

"Oh, he sure keeps you waiting a lot," she said in her best dumb blonde voice. She made sure that the two men saw her drop her purse. "Opps," she said as she bent down to pick it up. As she did, she attached the homing device to the underneath side of the car.

"Well I guess I'll see you guys around," she said and then turned around to go back to her car.

The two men in the car watched her walk away with interest. Even under the heavy coat she wore, the alluring sway of the female form could be ascertained with ease.

When Sarah made it back to her car she stole a look at the two spooks. She was satisfied that her exaggerated walk had worked its magic. The windshield of their car had steamed up to the point that they were wiping it with a handkerchief.

She was still smiling as she got into her car. She looked into her mirror again at Chuck's house but left without seeing anyone. She drove back to the hotel knowing that the thirty mile range of the transmitter she attached to the spook's car should give her plenty of leeway.

She had two and a half hours to kill before meeting Jim Bowman for the keys to the house. She made a quick trip to the bank to set up an account so she could write a check. And with almost two hours to spare, she walked into her hotel room while keeping a vigilant eye on the tracking device for the two men in the car.

The key exchange went without a hitch and by two o'clock and after making arrangements for a bed to be delivered to her new abode, she checked out of the hotel and walked into the house. She pretended not to notice the two men still sitting in the car down the block.

She had taken a phone book from the HiVee on Collins and went about finding delivery and take-out food establishments. Sarah Walker did not cook.

Just before five o'clock the bed was delivered and her sweet smile persuaded the deliverymen to set it up for her. After they finished, she asked if she could pay them for their help. The repeatedly refused her offer as they oafishly stumbled out the door grinning like morons.

As Sarah closed the door, she wondered why she found the same goofy behavior in Chuck delightful but with these two it was sad. What is it about Chuck Bartowski that had captured her heart in such a way that she now felt helpless until she knew one way or the other how he felt.

As she leaned against the door, her mind drifted off to that moment in the future when she would stand face to face with him and tell him how she felt. She would ask him if he felt the same. She imagined how her heart would wait, not daring to beat until he said yes…or no.

She thought of how she would feel if he said yes. She smiled as she thought about them embracing and finally how they would kiss. A real kiss. A kiss that said what she wanted it to say.

And then that happy thought was gone only to find that she was standing before him having just said that she was in love with him. And now she waited. Waited for his response. And this time instead of her heart singing, it sank in despair.

He needed a normal life and that- she couldn't give him. She actually felt her heart breaking as she imagined this possibility of her quest to find Chuck.

It hurt so much that it almost made her want to pack her bags and leave for Washington.

Almost.

Before she had met Chuck that is exactly what she would have done in this circumstance. But not now. She had decided when she had lost him that one way or the other she was going to ask him that question and she was going to deal with his answer. No matter what that answered turned out to be. Sarah Walker took a deep breath and went to order pizza.

X-X

After she ate, she noticed that someone pulled the curtains before they turned on the lights. She had the lights off everywhere except in the bedroom upstairs. She noticed the front porch lights came on just minutes before a car pulled into the drive.

Sarah went on high alert when she saw the dark haired woman step out of the car. She watched as the woman signaled the men who were still watching the house from down the block. She watched the car move past her house and turn out of the neighborhood.

Immediately, her tracking device started singing an alert that the car was on the move. Sarah rushed to get her coat and then left the house to follow the men to find out where they went.

She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the outline of a man and a woman kissing in front of the large window in the front of the house. She watched without breathing as she saw the passion of the kiss. She could not tell who it was kissing on the other side of the curtains but in her heart she was sure it was Chuck.

The agent in her told her she had to follow the men. That was the professional protocol to follow. But Sarah the woman found it difficult to leave knowing that the man she loved was inside that house with a known Fulcrum Agent.

She finally went to the car, got inside, started it and drove away after letting it idle for a second. She was within a couple of miles from the two men. She decided that she didn't need to get any closer than she now was. After watching the signal for ten minutes, the car stopped.

It was now just a matter of following the signal until she found the car. She did so after another ten minutes. The car sat in the parking lot of the Five Seasons hotel in downtown Cedar Rapids. It was the largest hotel in the downtown area.

She left the parking lot immediately and drove back to her new house so she could keep an eye on Chuck. She would have to find out what room the two men where in tomorrow.

Sarah Walker had done this many times. She knew the routine. She knew just what had to be done and what sequence that they needed to be done in. She knew that trying to hurry the process is how you get caught. Or the difference between success and failure. She was not going to fail this time. Too much was at stake.

Back in her driveway, she hurried into her house. She turned the lights on but deliberately walked upstairs and then turned the lights off. She then snuck back down so she could keep an eye on Chuck's house.

She hoped that she would see the two figures in the window and she hoped that she would not. She was disappointed.

The lights turned off the minute she got set up and they did not come back on the rest of the night.

Sarah had a decision to make. Did she stay up and document the movements or lack thereof here and risk losing something later when she had to sleep. Or did she sleep now and risk missing something in the night.

Sarah decided that she would do both. Stay up through the night and then for most of the morning. She would catch a couple of hours of sleep tomorrow afternoon before beating the two spooks to their hotel.

Sarah's instincts were usually right and this was no exception. At five o'clock the next morning, the front porch light came on and for the first time she was certain that she was looking at the man she had fallen in love with. Chuck Bartowski stood on the front porch in his pajamas as he went to get the newspaper. Sarah's jaw just about hit the floor when she saw Amanda Irving step out as well, fully dressed. The hair on the back of her neck stood up as she realized the danger Chuck was in.

Those same hairs were singed to the skin when she saw Amanda walk past Chuck towards her car when he grabbed her roughly by the arm pulling her back to him and into a passionate kiss.

His smile at her was seared into Sarah's brain as he waived goodbye. _That's my smile, she thought as she watched. _

She watched the woman get into her car and leave. She watched Chuck waive goodbye. For the first time in her career as a CIA agent, Sarah Walker was unsure how to proceed.

She decided that she would go upstairs and catch a few hours of sleep.

Sarah Walker found sleep very difficult to come by. Tears, however, could be purchased by the gallon.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to all who are reading this fanfic. Hopefully, I'll get a number of chapters out while we wait on our favorite show to start back up in Feb. I appreciate all reviews but especially those of you who have a nit with the story. I enjoy hearing what you think of the writing or your problems with it. I promise to evaluate all suggestions.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Eight

The first thing she thought when her eyes opened was _something just doesn't make sense._

The image of Chuck's passionate kiss with the Fulcrum agent was hurtful to watch. It was even hurtful to remember. But now after sleeping on it, she had the nagging thought in the back of her mind that something was wrong about everything here.

It was at that moment that she recognized her alarms were going off like a five alarm blaze. They had been for hours now. She was just too emotional to hear them.

Walker went into deep cover mode. Her focus was now entirely on the facts as she new them.

_Enough of this whining around, she thought._ She knew that she was long overdue getting her head in the game.

As she thought, she sat up in bed. Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was a little after noon. She had slept for six hours and felt rested and alert. She also had time to put some things in order.

_Where was Ellie and Devon?_

_Why was I excluded from this mission? Beckman was furious that I came to Cedar, why?_

_Why is Chuck staying over there and never venturing out? Is he hiding from someone? _

_Is he in danger?_

_And where the hell is Casey? He's supposed to be leading this mission. _

Sarah walked down the stairs and peered out her window at the two men in the car. Satisfied that they were still there and she could proceed with her plan. She glanced to where she knew Chuck to be. She wanted to march over to where he was and confront him but she knew the two men in the car would respond to that. If she chose to do that she would have to sneak over at night. She went back upstairs to dress. As she did, she thought of more questions.

_Why would Chuck agree to do this without me? Does that mean he's moving on?_

Sarah felt her heart constrict as she thought about the possibility of losing Chuck.

_You can't lose what you never had, Walker, she thought. _

There was just too much wrong with this mission. Deep down one of the things that she knew that was wrong was that Chuck would never move on without a word to her. Even though she was afraid that he had done just that, she knew at the deepest depths of her soul that he would not do that to her. That's what kept her moving forward. And that's what kept her thinking.

At two in the afternoon she left the house without looking at the two men in the car. She drove straight to the Five Seasons in downtown Cedar Rapids. Parking her car, she walked into the lobby as though she had been staying there for days. Sitting down on one of the large sofas in the lobby she waited and kept a watchful eye on all of the people she noticed.

Sarah made a mental note of the cast of characters she observed. She eliminated all but two as potential covert agents. She watched the operations of the hotel staff to get an idea of their comings and goings. She was primarily interested in the front desk staff and the room service waiter.

She felt as though she understood what she needed in order to complete this part of her plan and walked back to her car to await the arrival of the two men she had seen outside of Chuck's house.

Just as she suspected, they arrived at exactly the same time as they had the previous day. She followed them into the hotel and then to room 212 overlooking the pool.

Sarah went directly to the lobby and the front desk and inquired on room 210 and 214 from the receptionist that she was sure was not a spook.

"I would like to rent a room overlooking the pool preferably 210 or 214 please."

"Yes ma'am do you have a reservation?"

"No, do you have a room available?"

The attendant pecked on the keyboard and looked intently at the computer screen for a moment.

"We have 214 available."

Sarah smiled thanking her guardian angel. "I'll take it." She handed one of the many credit cards that she carried. This one however she kept when she wanted to stay off the grid. Not even the CIA was aware she had it. She never thought she would ever have a need for it but when she was a rookie she was told to always keep a personal card just in case.

After signing for the room and grabbing the key, she quickly walked into her room. She threw her purse on the queen size bed on the far end of the room and pulled out an electronic listening device that looked a lot like a stethoscope with ear plugs.

She placed the end with the large disc end against the wall and began to listen in on the two men. She heard nothing of interest for five minutes. Just as she began to get bored with the conversation, she heard a knock on the door.

Before actually reaching the door, she pulled out her pistol and cocked it. She unconsciously removed the safety as she walked up to the peep hole to see who stood on the other side.

Her senses went on heightened alert when she saw the room service waiter standing on the other side of her door. Sarah opened the door just a crack while looking at the man.

"Yes," she said ready for almost anything.

"Walker." Sarah recognized the voice coming from down the hall and opened the door just a little wider. Just before she was shot she recognized that she had made a mistake.

Sarah had time to reach up to the needle sticking out of her neck. The same needle that administered the powerful tranquilizer that caused her to lose consciousness before she could pull her berretta from behind her back.

"What do you want me to do with her?" the waiter asked.

"Get her inside. We'll prep her and then take her out to the car," John Casey said as he walked closer to look down at his former partner.

X-X

Sarah Walker slowly became aware of her surroundings. Her head hurt from the powerful drug that had just began to release its grip upon her senses. She looked at her wrists which were bound to the chair arms of the plain steel chair she found herself in. Her vision still blurred occasionally as she tried to focus on the room she was in. She realized after a moment that she was in an abandoned warehouse of some kind. It seemed completely empty except for two chairs. The one she was strapped to and the empty chair facing her.

As she tried to clear her head, she heard the purposeful stride of a man walking from behind her. As the steps grew closer, she recognized the military nature of the sound.

She was still surprised when Major John Casey came into view and sat down opposite of her.

"Casey, uh, what's going on here," she said looking down at the restraints at her wrists and ankles.

"I could ask you the same question Agent Walker. I was under the impression that you knew you were not part of this assignment."

Sarah looked for any sign or signal from her partner that told her he was waiting to set her free. Or at least he was on her side.

She saw nothing.

"Come on Casey, let me go." She began to get angry with Casey's lack of support.

"I told Beckman that you wouldn't stay away from this," Casey said with a smirk. He still made no move toward letting her go.

Sarah began to get very angry and her expression showed it. "Casey…you better let me out of here or so help me-"

"So I have to ask myself. Why would Walker defy orders and follow us out here just to spy on a couple of second rate spooks in a hotel room.?"

Sarah became interested in where Casey was headed. She calmed herself down and listened to what he had to say.

Casey leaned toward Sarah, she could not tell from his demeanor whether she had anything to fear from him or not.

"So Walker, you and I both know why you're here."

She could only look him in the eye and wait for him to continue.

"You think Chuck has been brought here against his will don't you?"

Sarah looked at Casey with a perplexed expression. But she did not speak.

"Well he hasn't. In fact, he volunteered for this mission."

Sarah knew Casey well enough to understand he was setting her up. Getting ready to drop the bomb so to speak and then watch her reaction. She prepared herself for whatever he had to say.

"He didn't actually volunteer for it but he agreed to do it with one stipulation.

_Here it is Walker, just stay cool, she thought. _She continued to meet his stare.

"He agreed to do this if we let you two be together."

Sarah couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "He said that," she said with the same goofy smile.

"Oh yeah, that and more."

Sarah waited for Casey to continue. But she had dropped her guard.

When he saw that she was not going to say anything more he continued. "He wants the CIA to let you go. So the both of you can live happily ever after."

Casey's smirk got bigger when he saw the smile fall off of Walker's face. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did that burst your bubble? Didn't see that one coming did you?" Casey got out of the chair and stood above Sarah looking down at her. "So what do you say? I suppose I could sit up a meeting between you two but what I really want to know is when he asks you to quit the CIA and live with him…what are you going to tell him?"

Sarah's head spun around like a top. She had trouble thinking clearly. She had fought with herself for so long and finally was able to admit to herself that she was in love with Chuck. But now this. He would make her choose between loving him and staying in the CIA.

Casey watched as the realization of what he had told her sink in. He saw it in the wrinkle of her brow. Then tears formed in her eyes and overflowed.

Sarah did not bother to hide them from Casey. She knew that he knew what she was feeling. She was in love with Chuck.

But leaving the CIA had never been part of her thought process. The thought scared her to death.

"You want me to set up the meeting?" Casey asked still with a smirk on his face.

Sarah was speechless. She didn't know how to respond. Her mind was numb.

Casey smiled for the first time. "I knew you could never leave," he said as he cut the restraints off of her right arm. He then threw the knife and an airplane ticket back to Washington in her lap and began to walk away.

As the sound of his footsteps grew further away, Sarah felt as though she couldn't get a breath. She turned to look at him and just as he reached the door she was able to speak.

"Casey. Wait."

Casey stopped dead in his tracks. He closed his eyes knowing he had played a bad hand and just had his bluff called. He turned around slowly to find Sarah cutting herself out of the rest of the restraints. He began to walk slowly back to where she was.

Before he had reached her she had freed herself completely and began to cut the distance between them as well.

"Casey, I want to see Chuck."

"Didn't you hear what I said? Chuck wants you to leave the CIA. If I take you to him, that's what he's going to expect. Do you really want to disappoint him after all this time? Why not break it off right now and cut the kid a break?"

His argument almost swayed her to his position. Almost. But then she saw the bead of sweat moving slowly down his temple. Instantly, her spy instincts kicked in.

_He doesn't want me to see Chuck. I wonder why? _But then it hit her. _Casey doesn't want me to see him. What will he do if I insist? _

Sarah stopped looking at her former partner as her former partner and began to observe him as a potential adversary. _He doesn't want me here. That's clear. He wants me out of here. Why? What are they afraid of? Beckman and now Casey seem too_ _anxious to get me out of here. It's not like I'm an amateur that will screw up the mission. They just need to let me in. _Sarah had looked away from Casey as she thought about her internal dialogue. She looked back into Casey's eyes and as she did she knew what it had to be. It wasn't her ability as a spy that Beckman and Casey were worried about. It was her relationship to Chuck.

As she searched Casey's eyes, she saw the anxiety he tried to hide. That's when she knew that how she acted in the next sixty seconds would determine how long she would live. Fighting every impulse she had, she kept her eyes focused on Casey and did not look around to see if he had support. Support meaning snipers ready to take her out in an instant.

She forced tears to her eyes as she had practiced so many times in the past. She dipped her head for an instant before looking up to meet Casey's eyes again.

"No, you're right. I don't want to hurt him. I'll leave tonight." She moved back to the chair she had been in and picked up the ticket that Casey had given her. She walked back to Casey. "Take me to the airport and I'll get back to Washington."

X-X

Casey watched Walker board the plane and then made sure it was in the air before turning to find his car. He was relieved that he didn't have to kill her. He knew that it had been close.

X-X

Sarah sat in 37 A and fidgeted and worried as she went back through her conversation with Casey. She had almost four hours to Washington. She had already booked a flight back to Cedar via Atlanta on Delta Airlines.

This would be the longest ten hours of her life. She knew the reason she was not part of this operation is she would not have agreed for Chuck to do it, which meant he was in danger. She had suspected it before but now it was clear. She knew who represented that danger to Chuck too. Amanda Irving.

_When I get back to Cedar I will find Amanda Irving and God help her if she has harmed one hair on Chuck's head. _

Sarah tried to sleep but found it impossible to sleep through gritted teeth.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: A short chapter tonight and hopefully one tomorrow night before I get busy again. I think the story will flesh out a little after tomorrow.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Nine

Sarah walked into the house in Cedar Rapids across from Chuck's, eighteen hours after being put on the plane by Casey. She was exhausted. After parking her new rental inside the garage, she had to pick the lock to get in. Casey had taken most of her personal affects saying that he would mail them to her. Without turning on the lights, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom. She felt around for the light switch and after finally finding it, flipped it on.

Sitting in the chair staring directly at her was Amanda Irving. Sarah noticed that Amanda did not look happy to see her. She also had a gun resting in her lap. She had not picked it up. The threat that it supplied was real even as it lay on her thigh.

"Sarah Walker. You are making yourself into a real nuisance. Do you know that?" she said without humor in her voice.

Sarah smiled nonchalantly and walked over to the bed and sat on the edge with her right leg kicked up resting on the mattress. "I get that a lot."

Amanda smiled for the first time and Sarah noticed it was a nice, warm smile, the kind of smile that was endearing. She wondered briefly if it was a real smile or a carefully cultivated one. Immediately the smile vanished.

"You need to leave. Get on the next plane out of here and just wait. If you're lucky, everything that you're here to find will come to you."

That got Sarah's interest. What did Amanda Irving, a Fulcrum Agent, know about what she was here to find. That's when a sick feeling gripped her stomach like a coating of molasses. Slowly, she felt the sickness spread until she almost felt like throwing up. _Had Chuck talked to her about them? How else would she know why I was here? And why was she here? It can't have anything to do with the intersect. Beckman and Casey would never betray the intersect. Or… at what price would they betray the intersect?_

She decided to take a direct approach. "Let me ask you…why is everyone so interested in me getting out of Cedar? It makes me think Chuck is in some kind of danger." She watched closely for any telltale signs from the attractive woman.

"Chuck is no danger as long as we stick to the plan. Your being here puts him in danger."

Sarah saw anger flash in the woman's eyes. It confused her. Did she care about Chuck? Sarah didn't know but she was determined to find out.

"What plan?" Sarah looked away frustrated that she could not piece together what was going on. The more Amanda talked, the less Sarah seemed to know.

"Look, how many times do you have to be told…You…are putting Chuck's life in danger by being here?"

"I know this… You say I'm putting Chuck's life in danger but that doesn't make sense. I don't know what you're really after."

"Walker, we're on the same side here. Don't you get it. You and I are after the same thing."

Sarah grew more confused. Amanda seemed sincere but she had seen the file on her at Yuri's office. She had been at the game long enough to know that evidence like what she saw in Yuri's office may or may not be true. She knew she didn't trust Amanda but she also knew that the possibility existed that she was not an enemy.

"I'm here for one reason and one reason only. That's to make sure Chuck is safe."

Sarah's anger was starting to show. The frustration of not knowing what was going on. Of being on the outside looking in and having to talk with this woman she had just seen kissing Chuck not two nights ago. And as she thought about it, a very passionate kiss at that, she became even angrier.

"But that's not your job. You don't have any business being here."

Sarah stood and yelled much too loud for an agent in control of herself. "I'm not here for the job…I'm here for Chuck."

She didn't know what to do with herself having just said that. Her arms seemed to be hanging at an awkward angle no matter where she put them and found it difficult to look Amanda in the eye. When she did, she saw that she was smiling at her.

"You're in love with him?"

Sarah's sight became blurry as tears stung her eyes. She couldn't speak but did manage to shake her head.

"This is not a trick you're playing is it Walker? Because I will become very pissed off if you're setting up a mark."

Sarah stared without comment.

"If you knew my history you would know that I'm sensitive to your situation."

That got Sarah's interest. "What situation is that?"

"An agent falling for an asset. But I've gotta tell you…after getting to know Chuck, it's not as hard to believe as what Casey makes it out to be."

Sarah's voice took a hard edge. "Speaking of getting to know him, I saw that kiss outside on the porch the other night. What's that about?"

Amanda smiled. "At ease soldier. We were working. Surely you know we're being watched?"

"You mean the two goons in the car?"

"No, they're our guys. But we expect Fulcrum to be watching us right now."

Sarah realized that Amanda had started talking. _Was she playing me? Sarah wondered._ "Why would Fulcrum be involved with this?" Sarah held her breath. She knew that whatever it was that Beckman and Casey were after, it had to be big to risk Chuck getting this close to a Fulcrum operation. With just one mistake and the whole Fulcrum operation would know who the intersect was. She thought about the kiss again.

"So the kiss was for the benefit of someone you thought might be watching?"

"That's right."

"So you two are supposed to be what, lovers?"

"That's right."

"So who are you after?'

"There's no way, Walker?" Amanda's expression told Sarah it was pointless.

Sarah decided to go for the brass ring. She finally had Amanda talking, she might as well see if she could get what she wanted.

"Let me see him. I can be the UPS girl or the flower delivery person whatever. Just let me have five minutes with him." Sarah's voice took on a pleading tone.

Amanda looked sympathetic. "Look, I can't. You don't have any idea why you were not chosen for this assignment but from what Casey has said it is a legitimate reason." Amanda looked at the door for an instant. "I'll tell you this. We're going after a high profile target. This has cost me two years of my life and more. I could probably get busted out of the CIA for telling you this much."

"Amanda," Sarah said trying one more time. "You don't know how I left it with him. I've got to let him know how I feel." Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "Just five minutes and I'll get out of town in an instant."

"And after you're gone, how will that affect Chuck? He has to have his A game for this. If there is any doubt in the mind of our target we not only fail but we're probably all dead."

Sarah felt dread grip her heart and squeeze it like a vice. "Amanda, I have to talk with him. Even if it's on the phone. He has to know how I feel. I know Chuck, he can handle it and still do his job"

"Walker, I find it hard to believe he doesn't know how you feel. Anyone willing to defy CIA orders just to talk with their boyfriend."

"You don't understand the situation…Please, I need to talk with him."

Amanda Irving hesitated contemplating her shoes. Finally, she signed deeply. "OK, do you have a cell phone?"

Sarah raised her phone in the air. "Yeah."

"Give it to me. Tomorrow at precisely ten o'clock call your phone and I will make sure you get five minutes without anyone listening in."

Sarah smiled and pitched her phone to the woman sitting across from her. She didn't know if she could trust her completely but if she could pull this off it would go a long way in establishing trust.

Amanda Irving stood and walked past Sarah and stopped inside the doorway to the bedroom. Without turning she began to speak. "I hope everything turns out for you two. He has never said your name to me but he has made it clear there is someone else. Someone that holds his heart in her hands."

Sarah smiled but it was a bittersweet smile. "I'm not sure if that someone is me or another woman from his past."

Amanda turned to look at her with a matching smile. "I hope its you. You seem like someone who would be good for him," she said as she began to walk away. She turned suddenly back to Sarah. "Did you meet him at work?"

Sarah looked up suddenly. "Yes."

Amanda smiled. "The one thing he told me about this woman was the first time he saw her he was at work. He said she looked like an angel standing in front of him."

Sarah's smile outshone the full moon that night. She realized that Chuck was talking of her and not Jill. She couldn't wait for the morning so she could tell Chuck that she loved him.

Sarah Walker went to sleep that night with goofy grin on her face. She was not aware of the events taking place that threatened to take that which was most precious to her.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Another short chapter before I go back to work. I will try to update as soon as I can this week.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Ten

"Hello."

"Chuck?"

Sarah waited for his response and her excitement grew with each second that passed before he responded.

"Sarah? - Is that you?"

She smiled through the tears and shook her head in response. "Yeah, it's me."

"I don't understand. How did you know to call this phone?"

"Chuck, we only have five minutes and there's something I need to tell you."

At that moment Sarah's heart pushed up to her throat and she felt like throwing the phone and running. She had many years of defense mechanisms she fought to overcome. Closing her eyes, and taking a deep breath, she continued. "Chuck, I have to tell you this before I say anything else." She took another deep breath. "I love you. I've loved you ever since the first time we kissed." She felt like she had been under water and had just come up for her first breath of air.

At that moment Sarah felt like her heart was a piece of glass. Not one of those thick pieces of glass that you could not see through. No, hers was the thinnest kind of glass. So fragile it looked and felt like a rose petal. The kind of glass that would shatter if dropped. She waited as Chuck held her heart in his hands.

The time it took for him to respond was in truth only a couple of seconds but Sarah felt like she had lived her entire life within that span of agonizing, wonderful time.

"Sarah, I've loved you since about fifteen minutes into our first date. "I've never known someone as beautiful, intelligent, caring, and as fun to be with as you."

Sarah had never known such joy before in her life. She had known exhilaration, exhilaration from conning a rich mark. Exhilaration from succeeding in a mission that was dangerous and beneficial. But this was pure joy. She felt as she…she actually had no words to describe it. She remembered their limited time.

"Chuck, we don't have much time. I know you're working. But as soon as we can, I want to get together. I have to go back to work soon too but you will be able to get a message to me through Director Mella."

"Sarah, I'm not supposed to talk about this mission but I think it's almost over. You couldn't guess where I am right now."

Sarah smiled. _He would die if he knew I was in the house across the street from him right now, she thought._

"Look, Chuck. You just keep your head down and do what you're supposed to do. I need you to come back to me."

Sarah could almost hear his smile coming through the phone.

"I'll call as soon as I can. I promise," he said.

Sarah heard him hesitate.

"Uh, they're telling me our time is up. Sarah, I'll talk with you soon."

"I love you. Just know that I love you with all my heart. I've never loved anyone like I love you Chuck."

"I never thought I'd hear you say that…you don't know how I hoped I would."

"Come home to me and I promise you that there will never be a day go by that you don't hear me say that I love you…not even an hour," Sarah said with tears of joy streaming down her face.

"Uh, I gotta go. I love you Sarah Walker."

"I love you too. Goodbye"

"Goodbye."

Sarah pitched the prepaid cell phone that she had just purchased on the bed. She felt as though she were someone else, someone better. She could not keep from smiling. She broke into a dance as she moved around the bedroom. Sarah was a good dancer but this dance was choreographed by love. It was the movement of pure joy. She was breathless before she stopped.

There was nothing left to do but pack what little belonging she had in the back seat of her rental car. She used the phone to order a one way ticket from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Washington, DC.

Thirty minutes later she was in her car driving to the airport. She had waived to the two men in the car when she left.

Six and a half hours later she had opened the door to her Washington DC apartment. She slept soundly through the night and awoke refreshed, alert and with a smile on her face.

Sarah Walker loved DC. She loved everything about it. She lived on the west side to be closer to Langley. But she loved the hustle and bustle of the city that powered her countries turbines. She liked knowing that she was a part of the generator that made her country great.

But today as she walked into her favorite coffee shop to get a cup of coffee and a bagel, she loved everything. She couldn't have been happier.

After eating her bagel, she carried a cup of coffee out of the store and proceeded to stroll up and down the quaint little shopping area near her apartment building. She smiled at everyone she met. She even said hello to people who looked her in the eye.

It was a mild day for this time of year and she wore a light coat. She wore black pants with a red long sleeved pull-over top that barely met her slacks. Her coat was black leather. She looked like any other person walking the sidewalks of the area. To all she passed, she was just another person going to work in a store or at the service shops that littered the area. Little did they know that she was a highly trained government operative that after ten hears, had seen more and had been in more situations than they could even imagine. None of that ever occurred to Sarah, and especially not now. She had one thing on her mind now…Chuck.

Sarah thought of her father. She remembered that he had known that Chuck loved her. She had not believed him when he told her that. She wished she could talk to him now. She would like to tell him how she felt about Chuck as well.

That's when she thought of Bryce.

As happy as she was the thought of Bryce dying just so she could find Chuck made her sad. She realized that there would most likely be repercussions from the whole incident. But she pushed those thoughts away. There would be time to deal with all the negative reactions to her not following orders. For now, she would enjoy knowing that halfway across the country their was a lanky young man with a goofy smile and wonderful heart that loved her. That was enough.

Sarah eventually came to the small park a few blocks from her apartment. She always ended up here when she took a walk. She sat on her favorite park bench. She watched a couple with a two small children.

For the first time in her life she felt satisfied. When she looked at the happy couple, she could actually empathize with the woman. She could see herself with Chuck walking with their children in the park. She had never done that before. Sure, she had thought about it but this was more real. It made her happy and it scared her a little.

Out of the blue, her phone rang. She looked at it for the second time just to make sure. She wrinkled her brow when she knew for sure it was her official CIA issue phone.

"Walker."

"Walker, this is Director Mella. I need to see you in my office as soon as you can get here. How long will that be?"

"Thirty minutes." Sarah said thinking that the shit would hit the fan in thirty minutes. She was indirectly responsible for the death of one of the best agents in the CIA. There was probably going to be repercussions from the death of Yuri Karlanov as well.

"Get here in twenty if you can."

Sarah waited for more but the director had already hung up. Sarah walked back to the busy road that ran past her apartment building and hailed a cab.

"CIA headquarters in Langley," she said to the cab driver as she got in.

She announced her presence to Director Mella's personal assistant and was sent directly in.

Sarah Walker had felt dread before, many times before in fact. But as she walked into the Director of the CIA's office and saw General Beckman sitting in the office with him, her legs lost all the strength she had. It was all she could do to make it to the closest chair in the office. It wasn't just the fact that the General was here. It was the look on her face. Director Mella wore a mask of concern too.

"Agent Walker, we have a problem," the director said.

Sarah raised her eyes from her lap to look into his but she said nothing.

The Director then looked to the General.

"Agent Walker, we've lost contact with Major Casey and his team which included among others, Chuck Bartowski and a CIA operative named Amanda Irving." The General hesitated for an instant before continuing. "We can only conclude that the operation was a failure and that three high level agents have been taken…We need your help in getting them back."

There was not enough air in the room. Sarah found it difficult to get a deep breath.

"What do we know?" she managed.

"Nothing, our people on the scene now have found no evidence except the dead bodies of two low level agents in a car."

For reasons that she could not explain, her strength returned and her fear left her. Her mind began to work through every detail she knew about the players involved. She remained focused and detached.

With a look on her face that actually startled the General, Sarah turned to her superiors. "Get me everything we know about their mission parameters. Leave nothing out."

Sarah Walker once again had to use the skills she had learned over the last ten years to find the man she loved.

"I want to talk with anyone connected to the case," she said as she got up to leave the office. "Today, not tomorrow."

She didn't bother to listen for the reply.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: The good news is, my company has limited my travel for financial reasons so I am trying to put the finishing touches on my project from my office. That means I'm working less hours and writing more. Should be able to update regularly. Hope you enjoy.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Eleven

Chuck, Amanda, and Casey had been dumped unceremoniously in the back of an older C-130 transport plane. Casey had been injured by a very hard blow to the head and was out cold.

Amanda and Chuck had been tranquilized and had come too at the same time. The loud drone of the transport's engines gave Chuck a surreal feeling that he was dreaming. But when he looked over and saw Amanda stirring, he moved towards her to see how she was doing.

The plane was nineteen seventies vintage and had cargo nets along the sides. Besides the three of them, it carried no cargo.

Chuck remembered the precision raid the Fulcrum commandos perpetrated on Amanda, himself and the two CIA bodyguards that stayed in the house with them. He remembered looking at the two lifeless bodies of the CIA agents as they sat in their car as he was whisked away to the airport. In route, both he and Amanda had been drugged.

Chuck had no idea what had gone wrong. How Fulcrum knew that there was even a mission going on. And, how they got Casey. But he knew that they had been tipped off somehow. He knew that Amanda had spent the last two years developing her cover story and that she was trying to lure someone there to be taken into custody.

So what had gone wrong?

Chuck made his way to her and helped prop her to a sitting position.

"Are you OK?" he said yelling to be heard over the roar of the jet

"I'm fine, but it looks like Casey may need medical attention," she said leaning over to examine his wound.

"You have any idea what went wrong?" he said to her.

She shook her head. "My best guess is that my "Father" is playing it safe."

"Our target is your Father?"

Amanda smiled at Chuck. "You know for a spy you really are dull sometimes."

Chuck caught on then. "Yeah, I'm known for that. So how did you fool some Fulcrum honcho into believing you were his daughter?" Chuck asked curiously.

Amanda finished examining Casey and turned to look at Chuck. "It's a really long story. I don't have time to go into here. Maybe later. Right now, we need to figure out how to get out of this mess."

Just then an older man stuck his head into the cargo bay of the C-130. "Amanda, could I see you up here for a moment?"

Chuck watched the expression on Amanda's face turn from that of a professional spy to a really frightened woman. "Amanda, are you OK?" he asked.

She looked down at him as she moved past him on still unstable legs. "Honey, I guess you're gonna get a chance to meet my father afterall," she said knowingly.

Chuck looked at the back of the retreating figure just in front of Amanda. He wished now that he had paid closer attention when he had the chance. He knew that was one of the things a real CIA Agent would have been taught to do. _Oh well, nothing to do but wait, he thought._

X-X

Amanda Irving was a real CIA Agent. She had already thought of how it looked finding the CIA in the house with her and her fiancé. She knew that if she didn't have a logical story, Rich Trask would throw her out of the plane. It would not matter that the former CIA operative had a deep seated regret of abandoning a mother and her daughter when he was a young man. The CIA Psychologists had uncovered this psychological idiosyncrasy and developed a plan to capture him years after he left the CIA and became Fulcrum's top strategist.

The middle section of the plane had been converted into a plush area by which to fly. The seats were all first class in size and the galley was accessible and fully stocked. Rich smiled warmly at Amanda and asked her to have a seat.

"How did you know Daddy?"

"Know what?" he said still smiling.

"How did you know that we had been kidnapped?"

His smile faded and he looked confused for the first time. Amanda felt hope that her ruse might actually work. The only problem was that Chuck would have to have the same story or they were dead. She knew she would not get a chance to warn him. She could only hope that he continued to be as fast on his feet as she had been led to believe.

"What do you mean kidnapped?" he said.

"The two men in the house had kidnapped us at gunpoint. They were talking to other people on the radios. They said they had the target. They hadn't been there very long when your guy's showed up and saved us."

The smile returned to the old man's face. "So that guy back there was one of the guy's who kidnapped you?'

"No, at least not one of the men I saw. I've never seen him before."

The old man shook his head as he thought. When he came to a decision, it was clear from observing him that he was a man of decisive action. "I want you to sit in that chair over there. I don't want you to say one word. If you do, your fiancé is likely to get hurt. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she said meekly.

"Go ahead now. Sit over there in that chair while I go and get your fiancé…what's his name?"

"Charles Bartowski."

The old man went to retrieve Chuck and in a moment they both were sitting down across from each other. Chuck looked somewhat nervous and tried to catch Amanda's eye but failed.

"So Charles, Amanda here tells me what has happened. It's not that I don't believe her but if you don't tell me the same story…well lets just say you're going to have a bad day."

Chuck's mind raced. What story could Amanda come up with that would explain the CIA Agents in the same house with them. He thought and thought but nothing came to mind.

"Tell me what happened to you today?"

Chuck's mind fought for more time. He didn't have a clue. But then a flash of insight came and he knew what it had to have been. The only thing that made sense.

"Uh, we were captured at gunpoint sir. I don't why. I didn't have a chance to find out because your men came in and took them out. I don't know much more than that."

Amanda allowed herself to look at Chuck for the first time and gave him a huge smile. _This guy is pretty good. No wonder he and Walker have been good together, she thought._

Chuck returned the smile and let out a huge sigh of relief.

"All right then. You both are coming to my villa. I want to get to know my daughter and her fiancé."

Chuck gave Amanda that wide eye stare of his that said 'now what."

X-X

"Greg, I asked you to coordinate this mission because you're the best project manager the CIA has… not because I want to rekindle an old flame. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, I didn't mean anything by it. I guess I remember how we use to work and I just fell back into that mode."

"I need you at your best. If you can't give it to me let me know now and I will get Jeff Harvey in here. This is too important to me to have you screw it up."

"Got it. I'm good. We're history. No doubt about that. Uh, if you don't mind me asking. What's so important about this project?"

"I do mind. But remember…we are not going to fail on this one. I will expect nothing less than every ounce of effort you've got to give. Others have given their all already." Sarah still felt a tinge of guilt when she thought of Bryce.

Greg in a flash of insight realized that Sarah was speaking of Bryce Larkin when she said 'others had given their all'. Greg had never liked Bryce. Actually that was putting it mildly. Sarah and Greg had gone out a few times when Sarah finally accepted a date with Bryce. The rest was history for the two spies which left Greg out in the cold. He had never really gotten over that.

Or Sarah.

"OK, assemble the team in thirty minutes. I want to talk to everyone as a group. We'll all hear the same story once." Sarah said as she looked at her vibrating phone. "I've got to speak with Mella. I'll see you in thirty."

Greg watched Sarah leave to meet with her boss. _What the Hell, Bryce is dead and Sarah seems unconcerned. I guess the rumor is true. She's hooked up with some super secret undercover goon and he's in trouble that's what this is about._ Greg watched her until she was out of sight. _I wonder who else she'll throw under the bus to get this stud back, he thought._

X-X

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Walker come in. I've got some additional Intel. It's precious little but it might get the train rolling."

"Thank you sir. I take anything I can get at this point."

"First off, the hit was flawless. We have no evidence whatsoever to lead us even in a general direction."

Walker waited for something she could actually use.

"This is what we know. Rich Trask was the target of this operation. He is always guarded by the best agents Fulcrum has. He rarely leaves his compound in the Caribbean and because it is a small private island, we cannot arrest him there.

"That's what this mission was all about. Lure him to Cedar Rapids to visit his daughter and her fiancé and nab him there. We're not sure what went wrong. Maybe he's just more cautious than we thought or maybe one of our guy's let down there guard and it cost us."

"You said you had Intel sir," Sarah said slightly irritated at the babbling without purpose.

"Well it's not much, but he spends almost all of his time in his villa in the Caribbean. That's probably were we can reacquire Bartowski and Irving."

Sarah stood. "Is that all sir?"

"I have one other question to ask you. This Yuri Karlanov…did you kill him or was it Larkin?"

"I did sir. Larkin was already decommissioned by then."

Director Mella regarded Agent Walker appraisingly. "Was it luck?"

"Excuse me," she said not understanding his meaning.

"Killing Karlanov…was it luck. If you had it to do over what would be your odds?"

Sarah looked at him and realized what an odd question he asked of her. "I'd give it sixty – forty sir."

Mella smiled at that. "Then you're saying you got lucky?"

"Sixty – forty I'd do it again," she said and turned to leave. She didn't see the expression on her bosses face.

"Walker," he said and waited for her to stop. When she did he continued. "I tried to suppress it…but word has leaked out. The whole community knows you killed Yuri Karlanov. That kind of notoriety is not helpful in your line of work."

Walker had not turned around. But Mella knew she had heard what he had to say by the way she stood in his doorway without moving.

When he saw that she was not going to respond, he continued. "I'm just saying, be careful out there."

Walker left closing the door behind her. She did not hear her boss on the phone to an unknown colleague. "Yeah, I told her. Not that it did any good. I can tell you one thing. If she's good enough to kill Yuri Karlanov, she's getting ready to drop holy hell on someone. My guess is that someone is Rich Trask."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Some pretty steamy scenes in this one. Nothing distasteful though. Another pretty short chapter. I hope you like it.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twelve

The group of CIA analysts and technicians had assembled as instructed in control room number 4. There were twenty three in all, four analysts, sixteen technicians and three specialists. There were 21 men and three women. The room was a testimony for intelligence and nerds.

Control room number four was exactly like the other control rooms. There were banks of TV screens that could be set to show dozens of locations at once. There were listening devices for cell phones, land lines, and even public areas like parks.

The twenty three men and women in the room knew exactly what the capabilities of the room were and they knew exactly how to use the equipment. They were experts at what they did.

They were close enough to field agents and what they did to be curious.

"Hey, what's this all about?" from the middle of the room.

"Don't know but I hear Agent Walker's the chief agent in charge."

"I heard that Bryce Larkin is dead."

"I heard that Agent Walker killed Yuri Karlanov just after he killed Larkin."

"I heard it wasn't Walker who killed Karlanov but that badass spy she's been working with."

"That's bullshit. He's a figment of someone's imagination."

"No way, Jensen read the first six months of Walker's mission reports before they raised the security level for that job. He said there was no mention of anyone but Walker and some old NSA guy." The young man speaking looked around the room to make sure he had everyone's attention. Satisfied, he continued.

"Anyway, Jensen said that all kinds of shit happened and that the reports made it clear that it wasn't Walker or the NSA guy who did it."

"What kind of things?"

"Disarming a bomb in seconds, rescuing Walker from some Fulcrum doctor, and capturing La Ciudad for starters."

"I wondered who did that. I know we all talked about nobody taking credit for that one."

"Jensen said it was this badass spy Walkers been working with."

The group had inched closer to the speaker who stood in the center of the room.

"What else did Jensen read?"

"A Middle Eastern arms dealer's whole operation was destroyed, numerous fulcrum agents captured and Jensen said that it was this same guy who convinced that Chinese spy to defect."

"Who is this guy?" one of the three girls asked impressed.

"No one knows his name."

"That's not true…Walker knows."

Just then Sarah Walker stepped into the room.

"I know what?" she asked.

The group began to disperse and look for something to do. No one answered her question.

Sarah cleared her throat to let everyone know she was waiting on a response.

Some low level analyst from across the room finally spoke up.

"We were just talking amongst ourselves about who this badass spy is that you've been working with."

"What?" Sarah said thinking they were talking about Casey. She began to smile when she realized who they were actually talking about.

The girl who had spoken earlier spoke up again. "Agent Walker, can't you tell us who this 'Bond on steroids' is?"

The whole group watched a sight they all would be talking about for the next month. They watched Sarah Walker stumble. For once, she didn't have anything to say.

She was mercifully spared by her project coordinator returning from a trip to gather some brainstorming supplies.

"What did I miss?" he asked coming into the room hurriedly.

"Agent Walker was about to tell us who this mystery agent she's been working with really is." Sarah couldn't tell who had actually said it.

From someone else, "At least tell us if he actually exists."

Greg took one look at Walker and stepped in. "Look, we have a job to do here. Agent Walker has given me the project outline and I've emailed it to each of you."

Greg continued to talk but Sarah blocked out what he was saying. She thought about what a kick Chuck would get out of coming here and speaking to all of these super brainy nerds and pretending to be this super tough agent they had dreamed up. But then a more serious thought struck her. She had downplayed the events because she knew how Chuck really was. But the truth of the matter was…he had actually accomplished a lot. On paper…he was a badass spy.

Could he have done it on his own? No, but none of them could. That didn't lessen the achievement that he had brought to the team.

She wondered if he was OK. For some reason deep down she knew that he was. It was the only reason she wasn't freaking out. _I wonder what he's doing right now. She thought. _

X-X

Chuck Bartowski and Amanda Irving stood in the guest bedroom of Rich Trask's ocean front villa on his own private island in the Caribbean in only their underwear. Her's were matching black bra and panties. His was a set of red boxers. Chuck had his arms wrapped around her back and appeared to be nibbling on her ear.

She had her arms around his waist and appeared to be enjoying his attention. But Chuck was not nibbling on Amanda's ear. He was whispering in her ear. And he was agitated.

"Are you sure this is absolutely necessary? I don't see any hidden cameras?"

"That's why they're called 'hidden" cameras…Einstein."

Chuck pulled back from her and gave her one of his patented 'I'm going to kill you' looks. He then went back to nibbling on her ear.

They had become very comfortable with each other over the time they had spent together.

She finally sighed. "Lose the bra for me already."

Chuck did as he was told and when Amanda's bra fell to the floor Chuck refused to look at her breasts.

Amanda noticed and closed the distance between the two pressing her large, bare breast into his bare chest as she hugged him again which allowed her to once again, issue him instructions.

"Chuck, you're going to have to look at me…all of me. These men are professionals and their looking for anything that seems abnormal. That will only get them looking closer. Do you really want them looking closer? As it is we can probably pull this off without giving them the Full Monte. But if you keep up your little games…" she left it unsaid.

Amanda stepped away from him and removed her panties on the way into the bathroom.

"Are you tired tonight?" she yelled from inside.

"A little," he said grateful for the lead in.

Chuck removed his boxers and felt like the world was watching him. But he resisted the temptation to jump under the covers when he heard her returning.

He watched trying not to feel as self conscious as he felt while the gorgeous, naked Amanda Irving walked up to him and grabbed him where he least expected it. To his own amazement, he was able to act as though this woman always had her hands south of his border, so to speak.

She did not linger and Chuck was grateful for that. Instead she went to the nightstand and rummaged through her purse. She pulled out something that Chuck recognized as birth control and turned back to him with the sweetest of smiles.

"Are you sure you're tired," she said holding her diaphragm up for him to see.

"I'll tell you what…let me get a nap and we'll talk," Chuck said convincingly.

The two got into bed and pulled the covers up to their necks. Amanda nestled her face into Chuck's neck so she could talk to him.

"Now that wasn't so bad, she whispered.

"I guess not. If I ever get kidnapped and have to spend the night with some woman I don't really know naked in bed…I'll call you."

Amanda laughed.

"You really should try to sleep. We might want to take a look at the lay of the land later tonight."

Chuck rolled away from her and hoped that she would keep her distance. But to his dismay and embarrassment, she nestled her body next to his.

"Baseball, Baseball, Baseball," Chuck repeated silently.

X-X

"Hey Georgie, you're missing the good part, he just took off her bra," the guy watching Amanda and Chuck on the video monitor said.

"Tell me you're recording?"

"Yeah, I'm recording."

"Then I ain't missing nothun," he said laughing from the outer room.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I hope you like it. Let me know if you do. Let me know if it's just OK. And finally, let me know if it stinks.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Thirteen

Chuck and Amanda crept back into their room. They were both down from failing to find Casey. They hoped that they could locate him and then when it came time to escape, they would take him too. They searched the grounds thoroughly and found no trace.

They made their way back to the bed and silently removed their clothing. Chuck stood looking at the full moon shining off the turquoise water of the Caribbean and thought how romantic this would be if Sarah was here with him instead of Amanda. Chuck did not mean anything derogatory towards Amanda. The truth was… she just wasn't Sarah.

He had lost his inhibitions of being naked in front of this beautiful young woman and he stared at the ocean providing her a magnificent view of his backside.

"Come back to bed before someone wakes up and sees us," she said as she slid under the covers.

Chuck did as she asked and lay on his back staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head.

Somewhere inside him he knew on some level that Amanda was unsettled. But he had his own preoccupations and did not speak to her about it.

She rose and gave him a quick look. She saw his face from the moonlight that shone inside the room. Lying back down, she sighed heavily.

"Are you sleepy?"she asked.

"No."

She turned to face him propping herself up on one arm. "Mind if I tell you a story?"

That got Chuck's attention. He turned to face her so that now their faces were only inches away from each other. They looked at each other like this for a moment before Chuck responded.

"No, tell away," he said and tried to smile.

Amanda moved back lying flat on the bed and looking at the same ceiling that had interested Chuck just moments before.

"My real name is Sara. Sara Jennings. Isn't that ironic? You've been wishing that you were lying in bed with a woman named Sara all this time and guess what? You have been." Her laugh did not convince Chuck that she was happy.

"I was a Junior at Ohio State studying for my degree in Psychology. I wanted to go on to grad school and eventually get my PhD. But I was taking this class on Criminal Socio- Pathology when one day the professor asked me to stay after class." She turned to look at Chuck to see that he was listening. She would have been crushed if he had not been.

"Anyway, he said that I had been selected to go on an interview and that if I was selected, my life would not be the same again. Anyway, one of the things I could not do was tell my boyfriend about the interview. They said that that was a part of the selection process and if I couldn't keep a secret then I wasn't the girl they were looking for."

"Anyway, I went to the interview without telling Steven and I was blown away. I was honored that the CIA wanted me as an agent. In my case I had a very precise DNA pattern and the CIA thought that they could use that to an advantage." She turned away from Chuck before she continued as if what she had to say next was shameful.

"To make a long story short, I dumped my boyfriend and told my parents that I was leaving school and that I had found a man that I was going away with. That's what the CIA had me to say. Then I would send my parents letters and a picture of me on occasion so they would not call the police." Amanda turned back to face Chuck who wore a sad expression.

"I was recruited different than you were. You are an agent they will send on any sort of mission. Ever since I graduated from training I have had only one mission…Make Rich Trask think I was his long lost daughter. And that's what I've done."

"How long has this been going on?" Chuck asked completely absorbed in Amanda's story.

"Two years. The funny thing is as I've gotten older, I miss my folks more. I also miss Steven. But I said all of that to say this…This isn't a life for lovers. The rules we live by just doesn't make for a happy home life. I think you have to choose one or the other…This life or Sarah."

There was something bother Chuck about this conversation. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was but he knew it would come to him. It always did.

And sure enough it hit him like a slap across the face. He stepped out of bed and backed away from Amanda. "How did you know my girl's name was Sarah?" he asked warily.

Upon seeing Chuck's response Amanda began to laugh. "Get back in bed silly and I'll tell you that story too. But I'm sure you're gonna be mad at me when you hear that."

Chuck was not completely at ease. He remembered Casey telling him the first thing you do when a mission falls apart is trust no one but yourself. Chuck knew that this mission had certainly fallen apart.

But nevertheless he complied with the beautiful agent who had now sat up in bed allowing the covers to fall away from her giving her torso a splendid bath of moonlight. Her beauty was mesmerizing. Thankfully, for Chuck, she broke the spell.

"Come on, I promise to tell you how I know Sarah Walker. But first, I want to ask a favor of you?"

Chuck waited on her to continue but he saw that she was having trouble actually getting the nerve to ask of him what she wanted.

"Amanda, you don't have to be afraid. You know I'll do anything I can."

She smiled at that. "If we get out of this-"

"You mean 'when' we get out of this," he interrupted.

"When we get out of this…would you go with me to my parent's house? I need a friend along and you're the only friend I can say I have."

Her simple request melted his heart. Before he answered he reached over and kissed her on the cheek. "Of course I will. I would be happy to do that."

Chuck saw the tears in Amanda's eyes sparkle off of the moonlight. His heart ached for her.

"Come on, let's get some sleep. Who knows what tomorrow will bring," he said.

The two lay back down on the bed. Amanda moved over and rested her head in the crook of Chuck's arm and chest. He laid his arm on hers and held her close to him.

He found it amazing that he had come to know two CIA spies and although both of them were hard as nails, pure killers on the outside. They both were needful little girls on the inside.

He fell asleep considering the mystery that these two were to him.

X-X

"Just tell me the truth Sarah…is he real on not? This 'secret' agent has become the talk of the whole floor."

Sarah looked at her hands and thought how wonderful it was that Chuck had become known around the halls of Langley as a super badass spy. She knew around here it was not easy to impress anyone.

She continue to think about Chuck and how wonderful he's been and to this day has not been given his due for all that he's done for his country. Sarah saw this as a way to make amends.

As she raised her eyes to meet Greg's, she gave birth to a small smile. She stared at him for a moment before speaking.

"He's real," she said without another word.

"I knew it. I knew it," he said flamboyantly. He then got conspiratorial with Sarah, leaning close to her and whispering.

"You and him," he said as he stood nodding his head at her.

Sarah had to laugh because it reminded her of a Monty Python episode that Chuck had made her watch with him. She wanted to elbow Greg with her arm and say 'nudge nudge'.

But she did not because this was for Chuck. Even if he never knew about this, there would be a whole floor of CIA technicians that worshiped him from afar.

Greg straightened up as if he figured out he had acted like an idiot to one of the people he admired the most. "He must be one hell of a spy," he said seriously.

"More than that," Sarah said. "He's one hell of a man," Sarah said and turned to leave. She had a plane to catch for the Caribbean in an hour.

"Stay safe Walker," Greg said and watched her until she was out of sight.

X-X

Thirty minutes after leaving Sarah in the hallway, Greg walked back into the control room. He found the group of technicians working diligently at their tasks. They loved to gossip and think about preposterous things but when it came to their jobs they were the best on the planet.

Greg couldn't wait to get back to the group to share with these guys what Agent Walker had revealed. He walked to the middle of the room before he began.

"Uh, I just have a quick announcement to make and then everyone needs to get back to what they were doing."

The room as if conducted by a famous orchestra leader looked at him in unison. They waited patiently.

"I just want everyone to know that I spoke with Agent Walker about thirty minutes ago, and she confirmed that badass is real."

The room berserk and Greg wondered if he should not have chosen this moment to tell his story. But the chatter was cut short by one of the ladies in the room.

"Project Director…I have something I need you to see."

You could have heard a pin drop as everyone in the room stared at Millie. It was more than the tone of her voice. When anyone called Greg 'project director' that was code for this is serious.

Millie's job was to monitor cell phone chatter for specific words or in today's case repeated names.

Greg hurried over to her and read the piece of paper she handed to him.

"Are you sure this is right?" he said.

"It's right. I double checked."

Greg dialed his phone immediately. He dialed a number he had called only one other time in his career.

"Yes, this is project coordinator 7236371. Confirmed. I need to speak with the director immediately. I don't care what he's doing. Agent's lives are at stake." He left the room in a hurry and when he did the room exploded with unsatisfied curiosity. But to a man, everyone went back to work.

X-X

"I'm sorry to disturb you like this Director Mella but as you can see we have a large number of hits on Sarah Walker," Greg said a little nervously. "If you take a look at the sample conversations we pulled, you can see there has been an assassination order put out on Agent Walker. It looks like to the tune of twenty three million dollars. That will get every mercenary and every independent agent out there looking for Agent Walker."

Director Mella looked grim. "This is Karlanov's doing."

"Yes sir. What I'm afraid of is just one phone call from Agent Walker and she will have a shitstorm of assassins on her ass."

"Get a call through to her. Pull her out of the field now."

"I don't think that's possible sir. She just went deep cover."

"Shit," the Director said turning to look gravely at Greg. "Do you believe in God son?"

"Yes sir."

"Then you had better pray that Agent Walker stays off the grid. If we can bring her in, she still has a chance. But her CIA days are over."


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: OK, I have to admit that I'm enjoying writing this so much that I don't want it to end. So, I will continue. I was originally going to end it with the next chapter but I think I can squeeze oout a few more. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Fourteen

"I can't believe ten days have gone by already. Devon this is the best vacation I've ever had, just look at that morning sun." Ellie said wearing dark sunglasses, a red bikini and sitting in the outside bar drinking gin and tonic.

"I couldn't agree more, babe. This is awesome."

"How did you win this trip again?"

"That's just the thing, I don't remember signing up for a free vacation but I had to, right?"

"It doesn't matter. I love Jamaica. We have to come back next year and bring Chuck and Sarah."

"Sure thing Babe." Devon sat his drink down and quickly glanced at Ellie.

"Speaking of Chuck, have you thought anymore about making that move?"

"Oh Devon, I want to do something else just as bad as you do but I don't think I can leave Chuck right now, he's not got his feet on the ground yet."

"He's twenty eight years old. You can't wait forever for him to take on responsibility. 'One of these days' may never happen."

Elle reached for Devon's hand. "I know, but can we give him just a little more time? He's got Sarah now and that may make the difference."

"What he needs is confidence. I doubt if anyone ever tells him that he's great at anything…and I don't mean Sarah."

"Wouldn't it be great if someone could just tell him what a great guy he is? Wouldn't it be great if he were appreciated as something special?"

X-X

"Ok, we've got a visual." The room full of technicians looked tired. They had been at it for two days now and had gone on minimal sleep. The early morning hours were the worst.

"Search the grounds. Find out how many guards there are and document their location," Greg said walking from station to station looking at the work each person was doing.

"Thirteen bad guys. I've got their locations marked." The technician went back to scanning the facility.

"Uh Greg…I've found something else that might be of interest to you."

"What is it?'

"You might want to see for yourself," the technician said smiling back at his boss.

"Put it on the monitor," Greg said and walked up to get a closer look.

As the monitor flashed on the image everyone turned to get a look at what was so interesting.

"Woo, would you look at that or those or…just look." One of the males in the group chimed in.

As the picture grew clearer, the group found themselves looking at the nude forms of a man and a woman sunbathing.

One of the guys in the group made a comment about what a beautiful sight it was to see.

"I couldn't agree more," Millie said as she too stared at the screen.

"Greg, doesn't that look like our target? She doesn't look like she's in any trouble as Agent Walker described in her briefing," one of the girls said. The guys in the room had not bothered to look at her face.

"It sure looks like her," he said. Can we get audio?"

"Working on it." The technician began to turn some dials and flip some switches. "Got it. Here it comes."

The sound coming from the speakers was scratching but it was distinguishable. The woman was talking.

"What's it like working with your girlfriend? I would think that might get a little tiresome."

"Sarah is a lot of things but tiresome is not one of them," came the male voice.

Everyone practically jumped out of their seats at the sound of the name 'Sarah'. One by one, people began to leave their stations and walk over to the monitor to get a better look. But this time they were not looking at the naked bodies of a man and a woman sunbathing in the Caribbean. They were looking at spies.

"Agent Walker is an intense woman, I bet you two have had some great fights and…some great make up sessions?"

Before Chuck could respond, the whole room exploded with excitement.

"That's him. That's badass. Get a closer look. Can you get a close-up of his face?" Everyone was talking at one. But finally the shot got even closer.

"Oh my God, he's fantastic. Just look at him. You can tell by looking at him that he's a badass," Millie said.

"He's sooo cool." Angie chimed in.

"What would it be like to be that guy?" From one of the guys in the room.

"Are you kidding? Agent Walker's his girlfriend and look at him. Lying naked with another beautiful woman and he's not even looking at her. Or at least not at her breasts…That's what it's like to be him. So cool a naked woman doesn't even phase him."

X-X

"Well John Casey, Major, United States Air Force, I'm not hearing what I want to hear."

"That's too bad because I'm not doing what I want to do, either."

Rich Trask's man had been put in charge of getting information from Casey about whether Amanda was part of a CIA operation to kidnap him. He had tortured Casey to no avail.

Realizing he was getting nowhere he decided to take a different route.

"Get the pentothal, I'm gonna get the truth one way or another."

Casey began to struggle because he knew that they would get the information from him. But two men held him down while he was injected with the drug.

"When I get out of here I 'm gonna enjoy putting a bullet in your head."

The man ignored Casey and waited for the drug to take effect. After about ten minutes he came to where Casey was secured and sat down beside him.

"What's your name?"

"John Casey."

"And do you work for the government?" He asked the question broadly to save time.

"Yes."

"Good, good. Now answer this for me. Is Amanda Irving a CIA agent?"

"Yes."

The interrogator stood and smiled. He looked to the lone man guarding them at this point. "Kill him. Mr. Trask will want to hear this right away."

The interrogator left the building before the guard made a move on Casey. Casey's chin was on his chest and the guard walked up to him and pulled his head up by his hair. He had a knife and he was going to cut Casey's throat.

Casey had long ago secretly freed his left arm and pretended to be out. When the man showed the knife, Casey grabbed it and rammed it into the man's abdomen. He fell to the floor writhing in pain. Casey kicked him in the head knocking him out.

With some effort, he was able to reach the knife and cut his way free. He then took off after the interrogator to silence him before he told Trask that Amanda was a spy.

Casey saw the interrogator getting into a helicopter and began to run after him.

As he got closer, the chopper blades began to rotate. At about twenty yards away, the interrogator saw Casey running towards him fast. He got out and fired one shot missing Casey. He got completely out of the helicopter so he could aim better. His second shot hit Casey in the leg. Casey recovered his balance and threw the knife striking the man in the chest.

Casey hobbled up to him and before he died Casey grabbed the gun from his hand and shot him in the head. "I always keep my promises," he said, hobbling toward the helicopter when he noticed he was bleeding profusely. He went back to the dead man and took his belt. He got into the chopper and tied off his leg. In two minutes he was in the air and speeding towards the island compound of Rich Trask's. He estimated that he would be there before the mid-morning sun reached the top of the sky.

X-X

Amanda and Chuck had showered, together, and got dressed. They had been told that Trask wished to speak to them. They were escorted to his study by one of the thirteen bodyguards on the island.

The guard knocked on Trask's study door and ushered them inside.

"Come in, come in. Have a seat. I hope you've been enjoying your stay here?"

Chuck babbled on about how nice it was and Amanda smiled and said that she was.

"I have to go away and tend to a little business. When I get back in two days I should know whether you two have told me the truth or whether you've lied to me." He stared hard at one then the other. "I really don't like liars," he said.

Chuck babbled some more, agreeing with Trask and watched the man go to the study door and wait for them to leave.

"Aren't you afraid the place will go to hell when you leave," Chuck asked half seriously.

"Why no, my dear boy. This island is nuclear powered. It's self sufficient and we have power for a lifetime here."

When he closed the door behind them, Chuck rushed while holding Amanda's hand back to their bedroom. "I just had an idea," he whispered to her.

"What? What do you have?" she said.

"Come with me to the pool. We can talk there."

X-X

Sarah looked at her watched. 11:00 AM, she thought as she contemplated an hour's swim under water. Standing on board the small ship, her scuba gear was heavy and she was anxious to get into the water. She had double checked her equipment and went to speak with the man who had brought her here.

She was excited to get the swim behind her and make contact with Chuck. She had imagined every night what horrors he had endured during his captivity at Rich Trask's villa. She knew what a villain Trask was. When she found out who was the target of the mission Casey and Chuck had been sent on she knew immediately why she had been passed over. She and Trask knew each other and the emotions on both sides ran deep. The primary emotion being hate. As she thought about it, she had to agree that it was the right call. She just didn't understand why she had been excluded from planning the mission.

She paid the ship's captain and fell into the water. She watched the small vessel speed away before she dove under and began to swim for the villa and the man she loved.

X-X

Chuck and Amanda watched Trask and five of his guards leave via helicopter. Chuck looked at his watched and noticed it was twenty minutes after eleven.

"Come on, let's do this thing, he said with mock seriousness. He was surprised when Amanda did not laugh. In fact, she went along with the sentiment. It hit Chuck at that moment that even though Amanda was the only trained spy on the island, Chuck was in charge. It was his idea and he was leading the mission. It sort of stunned him to realize just what he was doing. Would he be acting this way if Sarah was here? He didn't know. But he liked the feeling of taking charge.

At exactly eleven thirty nine, he attached the alligator clips to the alarm system for the nuclear reactor deep in the lower level. Immediately, alarms began to blare.

"Stay in our bedroom," he said to Amanda.

"What are you gonna do?" she asked confused.

"Get rid of the guards, what else," he said looking back at her with a grin on his face.

She had decided she liked that grin.

When he made it outside, Chuck saw that the guards knew what the alarm was for which made it all the easier.

"Get the boat, the reactor has overheated. It's gonna blow any second now," he said to three of the guards.

They began to talk on their radios and called their comrades together.

"Guy's, wait for me. I've gotta get Amanda. Jeez this is gonna blow any second," he said running back to the house.

When all of the guards had gathered at the last remaining boat on the island, they appeared as though they were actually waiting when all of a sudden they began to climb onto the boat and they sped away.

When they were out of sight, Chuck and Amanda came outside and bade them farewell.

"Come on," he said. "Let's turn off the alarms and give someone a call." He walked nonchalantly back into the house and down to the lower level.

X-X

Sarah emerged from the ocean like Bo Derek in 10. Except she wore an air tank and a full scuba suit. But to her credit, she made the wet suit look very good.

She made it to the area where Chuck and Amanda had done their sunbathing and noticed a bikini top laying on a side table. She made a face that showed surprise and walked into the bedroom. There, she saw both panties and bras lying on the floor. But it wasn't until she saw the boxers on the other side of the bed, that she stopped and her eyes darkened.

She looked at the ceiling for hidden cameras and finally found what she was looking for. _So, there must be a control room for these cameras, she thought._

It didn't take her long and she found herself looking at numerous monitors. She was most interested in the monitor labeled Guest Bedroom.

Flicking a switch, she brought up what had been recorded in that room for the last three days. The first image she saw was the man that had just told her that he loved her taking off the bra of a female spy he hardly knew. She pause the tape and moved her head around popping the joints in her neck. Just as she was about to watch some more.

"Don't watch that…I'll tell you what you'll see," Chuck said as he stood in the doorway with the most serious expression Sarah had ever seen him wear.

"And what might that be?" she asked equally serious.

"Two people trying to stay alive."

Sarah considered his words without giving him a clue as to what she was thinking. Without warning she closed the distance on him and kissed him as passionately as she knew how. He was shocked but only took at second to recover and retuned the passion.

"I could say get a room but I'm afraid you'd do just that," Amanda said smiling at the two still in an embrace.

Sarah pulled away from Chuck. "I'm cutting him some slack but you and I need to talk," she said seriously.

Amanda laughed. "Seriously Sarah. Chuck's right. We did what we had to do to sell it. We're all agents here. This is no surprise to anyone."

Amanda did not catch Sarah's look of confusion at what she had just said and that she looked to Chuck for some clarification. Chuck just kept on agreeing with Amanda.

"Let's get a call though to Langley. We need to call in the Calvary," Sarah said.

But just then they heard a helicopter. "It's probably Trask coming back," Chuck said as he went through the drawers of the room finally finding a handgun. Sarah watched in stunned silence as Chuck took off ahead of both female agents to meet whatever danger lay before them.

But she quickly recovered and was right behind him, followed closely by Amanda.

As the three made it to the front of the villa, they saw the chopper shut down and out came a very weary Casey. They all three began to run towards him as fast as they could.

Casey was hurt. He had been shot in the leg and had lost a lot of blood. They half drug half carried him into the villa to tend to his wound.

They spent five minutes filling in the gaps for each other and everyone except Amanda was surprised when Chuck described getting rid of the guards. When Casey caught Sarah's frown, he whispered in her ear.

"Amanda thinks that Chuck is Agent Bartowski. That's what we told her. It would appear that he's done nothing to make her disbelieve it."

Sarah looked at Casey somewhat awestruck. "You don't know the half of it," she said turning her attention back to the group. She stood and moved to the center of the room.

It would appear-"

Just then and two Chuck's absolute horror, he watched Sarah get shot with an arrow from a scuba gun. It went right through her chest.

Casey turned and shot the assassin wounding him in the stomach and neutralizing the threat.

Casey, Amanda and Chuck rushed to Sarah's side but she was unconscious. She was holding on to life by just the tip of her pinky.

Amanda was doing triage and looked at her two colleagues.

"If she doesn't have surgery in less than an hour, she gone." Amanda looked at Chuck with sad eyes.

"What are we going to do? There are no doctors around here. We can't just let her die." Chuck was close to losing it.

Casey remembered were they had sent Ellie and Devon to get them out of the house to throw Walker off the trail.

"I know where there are a couple of surgeons, and if we hurry we can have them back here in an hour," Casey said as he began to walk to the door. "Chuck, you remember how to fly a helicopter."

" No."

"Well I'll talk you through it."

"Why don't you just fly it?"

"Because I might pass out."

Chuck was too afraid for Sarah to be afraid for himself and ran to the helicopter to start it, hoping to save time. He knew seconds might make the difference.

Casey called back to Amanda. "Call Langley and have them air drop what surgical supplies we need. Have them here in an hour. Got it?"

"Just get those doctors. She doesn't have much time."

X-X

"Devon, the food here is fabulous. And look, it's time to get some sun. Let's take a shower and then slip out of something comfortable and lay out in the sun."

"That's an awesome idea, babe." Devon looked away from Ellie because his attention had been diverted to a helicopter landing in the middle of the resort.

"What in the world," he said as the machine sat down very hard. In no time, he saw a man get out and look around the resort. "Are you seeing this," he said to Ellie.

She had been watching too. She saw the man look towards the restaurant and began to run toward them. She thought briefly that there was something familiar about the way the man ran. But the bizarre situation kept her from focusing on that detail.

As he got closer, she began to feel strange. And just when she was about to say something to Devon, the man stopped and screamed at the top of his lungs. "I need a doctor. I need a surgeon. It's an emergency. Is there a doctor here?"

She didn't remember standing but Chuck looked at her and Devon with such relief on his face. He bound up to them and grabbing her hand practically jerked her off her feet. "Come on, Ellie. It's Sarah. She's hurt real bad. She needs surgery." They were halfway to the helicopter when she realized she had nothing to operate with.

"Chuck, I don't have equipment. Surgical tools and-"

Chuck cut her off. "Everything will be there by the time we get back."

Ellie watched in amazement as they strapped into the helicopter and Chuck lifted off the ground.

"Chuck, when did you learn to fly?"

"Oh, about an hour ago. How am I doing?"

Ellie looked at Devon with a shocked expression.

"Relax babe. He's pulling your chain. He's probably been taken lessons for a while."

Just then, she noticed Casey and the blood that was pooling beneath him.

Before she went to work on Casey's leg, she turned to Chuck.

"What's going on here?"

Chuck looked at her without expression. "Ellie, I can't even think right now. You save Sarah's life and I'll tell you everything. I promise."

X-X

"Damit, I can't believe we lost audio just as Agent Walker made the island. I want that audio back. We have to find out why Badass and Major Casey left in such a rush in that chopper. I don't like the feel of this," Greg said to his team.

"Got it. Got it. It's still fuzzy but I think we can hear."

"Ellie, that's it. You did everything you could," Devon said.

"No, no. Hit her again 500 volts. Hit her again," she screamed.

"No, she's gone. I'm calling it. Two thirty in the afternoon."

There was complete silence from the speakers. People in the control room began to wonder if they had lost contact again. But then,

"Agent Walker gave her life for her country. And the likes of you-"

"No, Agent Carmichael, he's not worth it. Let him rot in prison."

There was a general murmur throughout the control room. Agent Carmichael had been uncovered. But everyone's thoughts were on Sarah Walker.

As everyone began to cry, the door opened and in walked Director Mella. "What you just heard is a lie. It is a ruse played out for the would-be killer of Sarah Walker." The director stared at various members of the room. "I can tell you that he almost succeeded."

The people of the room continued to cry but now they were tears of joy. One of their favorites would be coming home. Some of them said as much.

"Yes, Agent Walker will come home. But for one last time." He stopped as numerous gasps could be heard around the control room. "You see Agent Walker died today."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: I am slowing things down this chapter. Hope it keeps your interest.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Fifteen

Two days after Sarah was shot, Trask returned to fifty government agents waiting inside his front door. Because Sarah had been shot on his property, it allowed the United States to send troops to his sovereign island.

Trask sang like a baby and in the time it took to catalogue and arrest the Fulcrum agents, the once powerful organization had been torn asunder.

Likewise, because of the ruse played on the wood be assassin, Sarah Walker was considered dead. After the assassin left and told the espionage world that Sarah Walker had been killed, he met with a very unfortunate car accident. The twenty million dollar reward that he had put in a secret account mysteriously vanished.

Ellie and Devon had stayed with Sarah until she was taken to the hospital staffed by government employees. At that point, they were whisked away by the CIA for in -depth debriefing. Chuck had asked Amanda to go with them and act as their advocate with the CIA.

The CIA was concerned that they had been exposed to top secret information as well as the fact that the people they thought they knew in Sarah and Casey and for that mater even Chuck was not who they thought they were. CIA Psychiatrists used the five days to make sure that they were OK mentally.

During their time in the custody of the CIA, they were told nothing about Chuck, Sarah or Casey. Amanda spent much of her time keeping Ellie calm and telling her that as soon as the CIA was certain that they were OK, they would be allowed to leave.

That happened exactly five days after Sarah was shot.

After the CIA released Ellie and Devon, Amanda drove them to the military hospital where Sarah was recuperating. It was about a two hour drive and Ellie was so excited she was about to pop. The hospital was nestled into the mountains of Vermont. It looked like any other hospital until you walked inside.

Both Ellie and Devon were impressed by the security of the facility and the soldiers who guarded the place. They were very polite but even Ellie saw that their eyes were alert and they stood vigilant in their duty. The corridors of the hospital were spotless and Ellie's high heel shoes echoed loudly with each step.

They stopped outside the door to Sarah's room and Amanda stopped them for some last minute instructions.

"Everybody is here, Chuck, Sarah and Casey. You can ask any question you like but there may be some questions that cannot be answered completely. That goes for your brother as well."

Ellie shook her head anxious to get inside and see Chuck as well as Sarah. Ellie had come to love Sarah and thought of her as family. It had been a shock for her to learn that she had given her love to someone who was not who she pretended to opened the door and the three of them walked in. Ellie looked at Sarah first because she felt as though she was still her patient. Afterall, it was Ellie who saved her life.

Sarah's bed was raised up in back so she could sit up. Sarah wore the typical white with blue dots hospital gown over a pair of red pajama bottoms that Chuck had got her. Sarah smiled at Ellie the minute she came through the door. Ellie rushed to her side and hugged her gently. No one knew better than Ellie how tender Sarah was still.

"Are you OK?" Ellie asked after the two had left their embrace.

"I'm feeling much better now…thanks to you."

Ellie continued to smile at her. That's when she turned suddenly as though in an afterthought she remembered that Chuck was in the room and walked around the bed to hug her brother. He barely had time to stand from the chair at Sarah's bedside before Ellie had wrapped her arms around him.

They hugged silently for a moment and then when she released him, she stepped away to look at his face. Her expression told Chuck that he had some explanations due her.

"Huh, Ellie sit down over there. Sarah has this huge room all to herself and the staff brought in these extra sofas just for this meeting."

Ellie looked around the room and indeed there were two large sofas three large lazy boy style chairs and one rocking chair that Chuck used so he could be closer to Sarah's side.

Ellie noticed with a frown that there were no get well cards and no flowers. Ellie sat down with Devon by her side and looked at Chuck letting him know she was ready for answers.

Chuck saw her look and began.

"Ellie, the past two years have been in some ways the hardest years of my life." His eyes began to tear immediately. "Because I've had to lie to the one person in this world that I should be completely honest with," he said.

Ellie smiled but composed herself quickly. She wanted to hear more before she let him off the hook.

"Two years ago I started working for the government. That's when I met Casey and Sarah." Chuck looked at Casey quickly and then to Sarah and smiled at her. He turned back to Ellie.

"You see I've developed a skill that the government finds useful."

"What kind of skill?" Ellie asked interrupting him.

"Well it's my memory. I can remember lots of details and data and I provide useful information during missions."

"It looked to me as though you were doing more than providing information back on the island."

"He was," Amanda said and then quickly shut up realizing that her comment might be misconstrued. One look at Sarah confirmed her fears. She looked down and waited for Chuck to begin again. _I have to clarify a few things with Walker, she thought._

"Ellie, I started out providing information but over time I grew to do more and more. By the time you saw me on the island I was doing it all."

"Does that include killing people." It was an accusation.

"If they're trying to kill me or Sarah or Casey…yeah," he said unapologetically.

It was hard on Ellie. She was trying to come to terms with the fact that her brother wasn't who she thought he was. In some ways he was more than she hoped he would ever be. But in other ways…

Ellie took a deep breath and looked up at both Chuck and then Sarah as though she had just thought of something.

"So does that mean that you and Sarah have been pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for two years?" Ellie looked from Sarah to Chuck but eventually rested her gaze upon Sarah.

"Yeah, we were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend….I'm sorry Ellie. I didn't mean to hurt you."

For the first time Ellie's hard exterior cracked and she gladly accepted Devon's offered handkerchief. Wiping at her eyes she continued. "So you and Chuck are not…in love?"

At that question Sarah looked at Chuck and smiled. She continued to smile as she readdressed her focus to Ellie. "I love your brother as much as my heart can love. I just hope its enough for him because he deserves all the love I have and more."

Ellie began to laugh through her tears. "I don't understand. If you've been faking it for two years-"

"I didn't say we'd been faking it for two years. I said we were pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend for two years. Somewhere in those two years, we fell in love."

"So many things make sense now," Ellie said looking at her brother. "Mother's day for one."

Chuck got out of his chair on that and went to hug his big sister again.

"You don't know how hard it was to disappoint you with that. It was just crazy then. I regret missing that first night more than I can tell you."

"It's OK. I guess when national security is at stake you get cut a little slack."

The rest of the time was spent asking questions and laughing at circumstances revisited now that a new light had shined on the situation. But finally a lull occurred in their conversation and Chuck felt compelled to share with Ellie the last remaining bombshell that he had.

"Ellie, you remember the ruse we played on the guy that shot Sarah?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Here's the thing. Sarah had a hit put out on her by this guy and it was for a lot of money." Chuck hesitated as though he didn't know how to continue. "Bottom line is…Sarah and I are going away." Chuck held his breath not knowing how his sister might react.

"But that's great. You mean your leaving the CIA to settle down…together?"

Chuck looked at Sarah and smiled. He raised both eyebrows and gave her the look that said, _here goes_.

"Not exactly. We will not be doing these missions anymore. But I'm not sure that we will lose all connections to the CIA."

"I don't understand. What does that mean?"

"We're not exactly sure ourselves. We have a meeting to find out as soon as Sarah's recovered. But the important point is that Sarah has to move away from Burbank. It was her last known vicinity." Chuck held his breath and watched as Ellie and Devon shared a look.

"That's great Chuck. That's just the best." Ellie was all smiles and Chuck was a little mystified with her response.

Two hours after walking into Sarah Walker's hospital room, Ellie, Devon, Amanda, and Casey walked out leaving Chuck and Sarah alone.

"Are you tired?" he asked her.

"A little," she said looking at the hand that held her own.

"I'll leave you to rest," he said and tried to pull his hand from hers. But she held on with surprising strength.

"Stay for just a little while. I have something I want to tell you."

Chuck saw the seriousness and the sincerity of her expression and acquiesced.

"You know between Casey and Irving the mission report was patched together and sent to Langley." She watched his expression to see if he had a clue what was coming.

He did not.

Chuck it is their opinion and I agree that this mission would not have ended in success without you being on sight and in charge." She watched as the flow of understanding reached his eyes.

"In charge?"

"That's right. Agent Irving was told that you were an experienced agent and deferred leadership to you. Actually, she said you just took over. But either way it has come to Director Mella's attention and I think he's prepared to make you an offer you can't refuse." Sarah's smile lessened the anxiety Chuck felt at that moment.

"What kind of offer? There not splitting us up are they?"

"No, nothing like that. I think they know that that would be impossible at this time. I did just defy direct orders, kill one of the meanest people on the planet and get shot through the chest to be with you. I think they know that we're staying together. But the point is they have something for you to do…officially"

Chuck wasn't sure he trusted the CIA at this point. They had never given him reason to. He accepted that they wanted to talk with him but about what was anyone's business.

Chuck got up to hug her before allowing her to get some sleep. He kissed her tenderly on the lips and then stood to look at her with a not so goofy smile. After a moment, he tuned to leave. "I'll see you in the morning."

"I'm counting on it."

X-X

Ten days later, Sarah was released from the hospital. She had Chuck and Amanda with her onboard a CIA jet bound for Langley. With Amanda around for the last ten days of Sarah's recuperation, it gave the two spies an opportunity to clear the air.

Sarah told Amanda that she thought Amanda had used every opportunity to take her clothes off. Amanda responded that she thought Chuck was this very experienced agent and she was just trying to impress him.

After much discussion about what was on the tape, Sarah finally let Amanda off the hook. But not after Amanda had admitted to Sarah that she had fallen for Chuck. She went on to tell Sarah that it wasn't so much a desperate love, although she was quick to point out that it could have gone that way if he had showed any inclination of reciprocating. "But he is desperately in love with you," she said. "It just makes me know that that's what I want for myself. Someone who loves me like Chuck loves you."

It was at that point that Sarah had a thought. She had wondered a few times what it was that Chuck had that made her weak in the knees when another nice, great guy she dated a couple of times was left wondering what happened once Bryce came into the picture. She had never identified what was missing in Greg that Chuck had. That's when she decided that Amanda and Greg must meet.

She remembered that she needed to prep Chuck for this visit to Langley, his first. She had some important information to pass along and she was excited to be able to share this with him. She had hoped to be alone but Chuck seemed more than happy that Amanda was with them.

"Chuck, this visit to Director Mella's office is a little more than a courtesy visit you know?"

"If you say so." He was reading a magazine.

"Chuck."

"What," he said looking up from the magazine at her. "What's so important about this visit?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you." Sarah shot a look at Amanda who quickly looked back to her book.

"You are coming into the fold," she said with pride in her eyes.

But Chuck reacted unexpectedly. "What! No way. Not now."

"Chuck, what's wrong? This is a good thing."

"How can it be good? I'm joining the CIA as your leaving. I don't want any part of it." He looked defiant in his objection.

"I'm not leaving per se. It's just that I'm not going to be active after this week. And neither are you. But you will be an official employee." Sarah smiled at him and handed him his ID badge.

Chuck looked at it for a second and started to speak but had to clear his throat because his voice cracked under the emotion.

"Agent Charles Carmichael," he said staring at the badge.

"That's you. You earned it." Sarah had felt proud to hand him his diploma from Stanford but this was on another level. This was service to his country. The greater good. She got choked up as she thought about what it all meant.

"Chuck, there's just one more thing I need to discuss with you. It's about Charles Carmichael."

He looked at her perplexed.

"You have fans."


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: OK, this would have been the original end to this story but I'm going to take a slight course change. Of course, had this been the ending it would have been Chuck and Sarah happily ever after. But since it's not the end...

I will post chapter 17 next Saturday.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Sixteen

Sarah, Amanda and Chuck walked past the first security point after entering CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Chuck felt a little self conscious when he flashed his ID that said 'special agent' for the first time. He looked at the huge American Flag adorning the wall to his left and the CIA emblem hanging to his right. The men and women guarding the facility were dressed in their best military uniforms no matter what branch of service was represented. The floors were highly polished to the point that Chuck saw his reflection as he looked down.

Chuck had to tell himself to remember that he was Charles Carmichael not Chuck Bartowski as he walked through the long wide corridors.

Sarah looked fit not showing any signs of having had an arrow sticking out of both sides of her chest. Sarah wore form fitting black pants and a blue turquoise top with a black short jacket. Her hair was blonde again and had grown to almost shoulder length. Her blue eyes sparkled with anticipation because she knew that today was a special day for Chuck. She also knew that he wasn't aware of just what this day would have in store for him. She was also excited about another idea she had had recently. The Sarah Walker before meeting Chuck would have never considered setting two people up on a date. But this Sarah Walker was excited to introduce Amanda to Greg.

Amanda wore a read dress and looked ravishing. She had a naturally small waist and ample cleavage and her dress accentuated her feminine form. But her CIA ID badge with the 'special agent' designation, attached to her black purse, spoke volumes about the capabilities of this woman.

Amanda was aware that this was Chuck's first time at Langley but was unaware of other circumstances that existed.

Chuck looked like the spy he had become. He had used some of the money he had received for new clothing and Sarah insisted upon the outfit he now wore. Black trousers, form fitting at the waist with a black crew neck pull-over shirt. The tan sports coat gave him a sophisticated look and his black Moreschi shoes and belt added style to the mix.

As Chuck walked through the corridors of the heart of the nation's center for espionage, he felt at first, a sense of awe and gradually an overwhelming sense of pride in what he had accomplished over the last two years. He noticed that no one paid much attention to them as they walked along. But everything changed when they went to the second floor. They stepped out of the elevator and began to walk down another corridor much like the one a floor below. But this time the person that they passed along the way, instead of ignoring them stopped and spoke.

"Agent Walker, is that you?"

Sarah smiled and held out her hand. "Mille isn't it?"

"Yes, it's good to see you. I'm so glad your feeling better," Millie said as she stole a quick glance at Chuck. As she did it was obvious to all that she appraised him from head to toe.

"Thank you Millie," Walker said clearing her throat. "Oh, this is Special Agent Amanda Irving." Sarah said formally.

Amanda shook hands with Millie and her coworker who Sarah didn't know.

"And this is Special Agent Charles Carmichael."

Millie's eyes grew as wide as saucers and then her checks turned bright red as she remembered seeing this same man naked. She held out her hand and then jerked it back thinking she was being too forward. Just as she was pulling her hand back Chuck reached his out. Just as he pulled his back she reached hers out again.

Finally, Chuck smiled and said, "Are you going to shake my hand or play psych?" He smiled at her and left his hand out for her to grab. She did so and shook his arm vigorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said and closed her eyes in embarrassment because she thought of the word meat instead of meet. With that, she grew even more flustered and said trying to make up for her earlier mistakes. "If there's anything you nude, I mean need." She stopped speaking and backed away from Chuck horrified of the impression she had just made. "Anyway it was good to meet you," she said and winced again. She walked away as quickly as she could, her coworker close behind her.

Chuck was puzzled and it showed on his face. "What the heck was that all about?"

"Remember when I said you had fans?"

"Yeah,"

"Well you just met the first one. She was just a little excited to meet you, that's all."

As they walked down the long hallway, they passed another group of young nerdy men. They stared at Chuck as they went by. Chuck heard them whisper excitedly after they had passed. But all he heard were the words 'Carmichael and badass.'

They continued down the hall and Chuck saw a man and a woman walking towards them with the large 'special agent' identification badges on their lapels. As they got closer, they looked at Sarah.

"Walker," they said in unison.

"Hanson, Kelly," she said in return.

But Chuck saw the look they gave him. It was a look of appraisal and of respect. He grew more puzzled about the whole situation.

They had begun to walk towards a control room with rows of windows showing many people inside, when Chuck began to feel as though he was being led to a slaughter. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"What's going on here?" he said looking at Sarah then Amanda.

"Don't look at me. I don't have a clue," Amanda said with a smile on her face.

"Come on Agent Carmichael. You sort of have a reputation with the people on this floor. Especially the people in this room," Sarah said pointing to the control room up ahead. She smiled her brightest smile. "What do ya say we go met them?"

He had no idea what Sarah was talking about. Reputation! The only reputation he could think off was wining a game that was twenty years old. What else had he done that deserved a reputation? As he followed Sarah into the room, he could come up with nothing that warranted the kind of adoration that Millie seemed to have for him. Chuck was at a loss for words.

When the three of them walked into the room a hush fell as all faces turned their way. It was as though the bad guy in an old western had just walked into the saloon.

Chuck felt as though all eyes were on him. He spotted Millie who ducked away behind another person. As he followed Sarah to the man who appeared to be in charge, he had to remember to stay confident. He was a member of the CIA now.

"Hi Greg," Sarah said as she shook his hand. Chuck noticed a warmness that Sarah displayed with him that surprised him.

"I want you to meet my boyfriend. This is Special Agent Charles Carmichael."

Chuck stepped forward and shook his hand.

"It is an honor to meet you sir," Greg said.

"Sir! I've not been knighted. Call me Charles," Chuck said smiling at the man.

"Charles, Greg is the Mission Coordinator for this team," Sarah said looking around at the group of people.

"Oh, and Greg, this is Special Agent Amanda Irving." Sarah put her hand behind Amanda's back and guided her towards Greg.

"Amanda, Greg here has you at a disadvantage," Sarah said smiling sweetly.

"Oh, why is that?"

"He and his team found the island via satellite. I think you recall seeing some of their handiwork," Sarah said looking very much like she had just got some revenge for Amanda's flirting with her man. "You two should talk, Charles and I will catch up with you later." Sarah grabbed Chuck by the arm and moved him to a group that included Mark Jensen,

Mark Jensen was an exited man. He had told everyone for almost two years that there was some super secret super bad agent that no one on this floor knew anything about. At first he was laughed at but rumors began to come from other floors and before long people were searching him out to find out what he knew.

Although he had been taken off the mission review committee for Walker's team, he still had the best Intel about this secret agent as anyone else his level. In effect Charles Carmichael had made him somebody special as well.

"Agent Carmichael, I'm Mark Jensen and I just want to say what an honor it is to meet you sir."

A group of people had closed in around him.

Chuck was beginning to become extremely embarrassed by all the groveling at his feet and he'd had about all he could take.

"Look, everyone. I'm glad you're honored and pleased to meet me…but I'm a regular guy just like you, Mark," he said as he pointed at Mark Jensen.

The group that had closed in around him looked at each other and then simultaneously burst out laughing.

"What?" he said getting a little angry?

"Agent Carmichael, I mean no disrespect but I've never disarmed a bomb, not ever. I've never flown a helicopter. I was not the one who captured La Ciudad. I didn't convince a top Chinese agent to defect. And I wasn't responsible for the capture of Rich Trask. I've read your mission reports sir. At least the early ones." Mark looked around the room. "We all know what you've done."

Sarah backed away from where Chuck stood to get a good look at the scene. She glanced to Amanda to see if she was watching as Chuck got what he deserved. To her surprise, she saw Amanda and Greg deep in conversation. She smiled to herself when she saw how each was staring hard into the other's eyes.

Chuck's voice brought her back to him.

"Yeah, I was a part of all of those things but to say I was responsible." He let the thought die as he considered what was being said.

"Charles, these people know who you are. Just let it go at that." Sarah gave Chuck a smile that spoke volumes. She looked at her watch. "We have to go Charles, Director Mella will be waiting."

That was all Sarah needed to say and the group made way for him to leave. He shook a few hands on his way out of the room. Sarah grabbed Amanda and had to pull her away from Greg.

"Did you make a date with him?"

"No."

"For crying out loud," Sarah said and turned back to him. "Greg. Amanda's free tonight at eight. Pick her up then?"

"Greg drilled into Sarah's eyes and then looked at Amanda.

She nodded her head.

His smile got bigger and bigger. "I'll call you for the address. I can look up your number."

She smiled in return. "OK." She was ushered out the door.

X-X

Chuck, Amanda and Sarah sat in front of Director Mella's desk. He had been called away to take a private call. Sarah knew that that was a commonplace occurrence with the Director of the CIA.

Chuck sat in the middle with both female spies on either side of him. The flag of the CIA hung from a post on the right side of the room and the American Flag hung from the left side. Director Mella's desk top was perfectly clear except for his coffee cup. The mahogany desk was ornate and the matching chair was plush and upholstered with leather. It was just exactly what Chuck expected to see.

After five minutes Director Mella came back into the room.

"Forgive me but I had to take that."

"No problem sir," Walker spoke for the group.

"Well Agent Walker, the problem is what to do with you. We certainly cannot risk you getting involved with covert operations. The probability of you getting spotted is unacceptable at this point." The director was a man who didn't mince words.

"So anyway I've come up with an option that I think will take advantage of your skills and allow you time to be with Agent Carmichael here."

"Time, sir?" Walker didn't like the direction this was going.

"Yes, I'm sensitive to the fact that the two of you have developed an attachment to each other."

Sarah was dumbfounded and looked at Chuck unable to speak.

"Uh, Director Mella. We were under the impression that we would be assigned to the same location. Are you saying that that is not the case?"

The director regarded Chuck wordlessly for a moment. Then sat back in his chair and considered his response some more. Finally he looked at Amanda. "Agent Irving, would you mind waiting out in the hall?"

"Of course not sir," she said as she stood and left the office to wait in a small waiting room.

The director waited for her to leave before continuing. "Agent Walker, Chuck Bartowski is still a vital asset to this country. I can't send him to any of the assignments I've picked out for you."

Walker knew better than to argue, at least at this point. "What do you have in mind for him, sir?"

"We're sending him back to his home with Major Casey and Amanda Irving."

The first thing Sarah felt was jealousy. But then dread. She didn't want to think of Chuck going on missions without her. She was a little surprised by the first words that came out of her mouth however. "Does Agent Irving know about this?"

"No, I wanted to speak with you first."

Sarah was still jealous and she wanted to blame Amanda but she knew that she had no reason to be angry with her.

But that didn't stop her from being angry.

"What assignments do you have in mind for me," she asked, her voice was subdued.

The director handed her a list and as she read Chuck noticed just a trace of moisture forming in her eyes.

Sarah looked back to her boss. "Is there any room to negotiate this sir?"

"I'm afraid not agent," he said with a hint of sympathy.

"What. Where are they sending you?" Chuck asked.

Without looking at Chuck, Sarah handed him the list. He took it and hurriedly scanned the page. "No, there's got to be some kind of mistake. You said we can see each other. How is that possible?"

"Well I didn't mean daily. But we will make time for you. Maybe once a month we will send Agent Carmichael over to visit for the week. That is if things are quiet."

The director looked at them both. "This is the way it has to be for now. Maybe when the new intersect come on line all of this will change."

"When do we start?" Sarah sounded as though she had given up.

"Agent Walker, you still need time to recuperate before your assignment. The doctors say at least another month. We will let Agent Carmichael spend that or most of that with you. The only stipulation is…it has to be one of the places on the list."

Sarah looked at Chuck. With raised eyebrows she asked him his preference.

He sighed as if he couldn't believe this was happening. Finally he looked back to the director. "Paris I guess."

Sarah closed her eyes. _I hate Paris, she thought_.

Director Mella hit the intercom button but before he could ask for Agent Irving to be brought back in Sarah stood up from her chair.

"I'm not doing this sir. I've gone through too much to be with Chuck. One week every two or three months is not enough." She looked defiant as she thought about what she had to say next. "Surely there's another way."

Director Mella smiled as though he expected her reaction. In truth he knew it was a possibility. "There is one option you have at your disposal. You know what I mean."

Sarah sat down heavy in her chair but did not speak.

Chuck was not sure what had just happened but it appeared that Sarah had backed down.

"Send in Agent Irving please."

Amanda stepped back in and it was clear she saw that the atmosphere in the room had changed. She sat down wordlessly.

"Agent Irving, we have a new assignment for you if you're interested?"

She didn't know what to say. "What is it?" she asked.

"Take over for Agent Walker and join Agent Carmichael and Major Casey out in California."

Before she could answer Chuck spoke up after seeing Sarah's face. "Director Mella, I don't understand why Sarah cannot continue working with Casey and I just like we use to?"

"Mr. Bartowski, I've explained that before. I'm not going to rehash it again.

Chuck realized that Director Mella had argued as much as he intended to.

Agent Irving your answer?"

Amanda looked at Chuck and then to Sarah. She saw that Sarah was visibly upset but if she didn't take the assignment they would just give to someone else.

"I would be happy to take it, sir."

The second she said it, Sarah stood grabbed her ID and threw it on the director's desk.

"I'm not doing this. I'm not going to Paris or any other place while Chuck." She looked quickly to Amanda. "Goes back to what he was doing before."

"That is your choice Sarah Walker. If you quit I can't stop you from going anywhere."

Sarah looked down at Chuck. I'll be waiting in the outer lobby. You know the one for civilians," she said as she looked at her former boss. She stormed out of the office slamming the door behind her.

The Director was unaffected. "How soon can you be ready?" he said to Amanda.

"I can leave tomorrow."

"Are you ready to get home Bartowski?"

"I have no earthly idea," he said as he felt as though his world was fallen apart.

Chuck and Amanda shook the Director's hand and left his office and stood in the small waiting room.

"Chuck I'm sorry about all of this. You find Sarah. I'm going to my apartment and pack." I'll call you to coordinate our flights."

"Don't forget you have a date tonight."

With that Amanda brightened. "Yeah, listen. I'll call you late tonight."

The two agents parted ways and Chuck went to find his civilian girlfriend.

**The End of Part One. **


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hope you like it.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Seventeen

Sarah was in a bad mood. And everyone knew it. Chuck remembered her like this once before. She had made the choice to stay in LA with him rather than go undercover with Bryce. He winced when he thought about what a pain she had been.

They had been scheduled to take a CIA jet to California but Sarah had been told she would not be able to fly because she was a civilian and did not have permission.

Permission.

Chuck heard her utter the word numerous times under her breath as she sat next to him in coach aboard United Flight 703 from Washington to Los Angeles. Chuck and Amanda could have moved up to first class due to their status as agents for the United States Government. Amanda decided that the best seat on the plane for her was the seat farthest from Sarah Walker. So she gladly accepted the move.

Sarah Walker on the other hand was an unemployed civilian. So Chuck sat with her in coach.

The airline attendants prepared to take off and passengers made last minute phone calls before their flight. The commotion inside the plane intensified as people hurried to find their seats.

After taxiing to the runway, the plane sped down the airstrip and pointed towards the sky. Chuck breathed a sigh of relief. He hated flying in general but he detested takeoffs. He closed his eyes and before long he heard the captain over the loudspeaker telling the passengers that it was OK to move about the cabin.

Chuck realized that he and Sarah had a lot to discuss. Where were they going to live? What was she going to do for a living? How long would the CIA let her drive the Porsche? He had a hundred other questions that needed to be answered but he was smart enough to know that now was not the time. But the question that most interested him was how they were going to live… together or separate? Did she like to sleep on the right side of the bed or the left? And, was that question even relevant?

He stole a glance at her. She sat stiffly beside him with her eyes closed, her jaw was set and her teeth clenched. Chuck looked out the window to the serenity of the white clouds floating below before looking back to the tumultuous current of emotion that raged in Sarah Walker. Her clothing matched her mood…black. He had to admit Sarah Walker looked good in black. Whether it was the slacks she now wore with a little top or the little black dress he liked to remember her in, she made the color black look good.

_No, he thought. Now is definitely not the time._ But where they spend the night tonight was a pressing question. He decided that even that question could wait until they landed at LAX. He knew that their relationship was abnormal. He was in love with her and had been for almost two years but they had only kissed a handful of times. Most of those were job related or innocent kisses. They had never been more intimate than that. He looked at Sarah and seriously doubted if that status would change tonight, even if he did sleep in the same bed with her.

Chuck noticed Amanda walking towards them and he shook his head. He breathed a sigh of relief when she understood and pointed to her watch and held up one finger. Chuck nodded his head. She would talk with him in an hour.

"Don't ever do that again," Sarah said to Chuck with ice in her voice.

Do what?" Chuck replied.

"Signal to your new partner so I don't know about it. That will be a problem for us."

Chuck didn't say a word; instead he laid his hand upon hers. She jerked away but seconds later laid her hand on top of his. Although she didn't open her eyes to look at him, he knew that that was her way of saying she was sorry.

The hour passed without conversation and before it seemed possible, Amanda was approaching the two. She sat down next to Sarah, who kept her eyes closed.

She thought about saying something light hearted but realized immediately that that would not go over well with Walker.

"Chuck, Mella called to tell us that General Beckman wants a conference call at the Orange Orange as soon as Casey arrives. Beckman needs to meet the new team," she said looking at Sarah while holding her breath.

Sarah's only visible response was a slow, deep breath.

Amanda knew that she and Agent, uh, Sarah had to clear the air. She was not sure if now was the best time but she knew that she needed to start the process.

"Sarah, I hope you know that I had nothing to do with how this turned out?"

Chuck noticed Sarah's jaw working before she spoke. He realized that this was an aspect of the woman he loved that was a complete unknown to him. He didn't really know the angry Sarah Walker.

Enough time passed that Amanda began to think she was not going to respond when suddenly she opened her eyes and looked at Chuck's new partner.

"I'm going to tell you this as honestly as I can. You and I will not have an easy time of it. I loved my job, especially the one you have now." Sarah turned away from Amanda and laid her head back and closed her eyes. "I don't blame you. But that doesn't change the facts."

Amanda looked at Chuck and made a face that said, 'Oh shit'.

"And it will piss me off if I see you trying to communicate with my boyfriend secretly."

Wordlessly, Amanda stood and began to leave but sat back down instead. "I just wanted you to know. Greg and I had a great time last night. Thanks for that connection. I'm seeing him again in two weeks when I have to go back to Langley."

Despite her generally nasty disposition, Sarah was intrigued. She opened her eyes and sat up to look at Amanda.

"And?"

"And…I just wanted to thank you. I like him."

Sarah smiled genuinely for the first time since leaving Director Mella's office.

"You're seeing him again?" she asked.

Amanda nodded her head.

"He may even come out here for a couple of days later this month if things go well."

"Thanks for telling me. You need to know that I like him and I wouldn't have introduced you if I didn't think you were a good person. Just remember that when I'm upset with you."

"Sarah, I'm sure we'll be OK," Amanda said smiling.

Sarah regarded Amanda without giving away what she was thinking.

"I'm a difficult person to live with, especially when I'm unhappy. I can be very demanding. I wish Chuck didn't have to learn that about me but he will." She shot a sober look to Chuck before turning back to the pretty brunette. "I suspect you will too." She then smiled at Amanda. I hope you and Greg work out." Sarah sat back and closed her eyes. But her smile continued until after Amanda had returned to first class.

X-X

Amanda walked about thirty paces ahead of Sarah and Chuck. She had made plans to meet with Chuck per Beckman's request in two days when Casey was schedule to arrive. She waved to them both before turning right to the car rental area.

Chuck and Sarah turned left to long term parking.

"Sarah, we need to think about where we're going to stay tonight," Chuck said having delayed this conversation as long as possible.

"I'm in such a shitty mood, Chuck. I don't think it's a good idea for us to be together tonight."

"So you'd rather be alone?" Chuck didn't understand.

"I would rather not fight with you tonight. I'll drop you off at Ellie's. I'll go to my old hotel and get a room for tonight. We'll figure out what we're going to do tomorrow."

Her matter of fact tone was an itch under Chuck's skin. As he spoke, his voice grew louder.

"You know at some point you're going to have to learn what it means to commit to someone, Sarah." Chuck eyes flashed darkly. "You work together to get through the tough times…not separately."

Sarah matched Chuck's voice in tone and in volume.

"Committed…you accuse me of not being committed. Look at what I've given up to be with you?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Chuck said his voice ratcheting down a little.

"What I know is- if we stay together tonight, this is what we will do with our time. I don't want to do that."

Chuck didn't like it. In fact, he hated the thought of leaving Sarah alone with her feeling this way. But he didn't want to fight with her either. _Maybe she's right, he thought._

As they waited for the shuttle bus to take them to the long term parking, the area became congested with other travelers. Chuck and Sarah stayed silent but shot each other questioning looks, as if wondering what the other was thinking.

A short bus ride later and they were walking again looking for the car.

"Drop me off at Ellie's. I'll give you a call in the morning." Chuck said suddenly.

Sarah nodded her head in agreement. "There, over there. The car's over there."

Chuck followed her to the car and walked around to the passenger side, waiting for her to unlock it.

Standing at the side of the car, she reached down to turn the key, she stopped and then looked at Chuck. Her expression was sad.

"Can you drive a stick?" she asked.

"What?"

Sarah threw the keys to Chuck. "I'm not insured. I can't drive the car. The CIA took care of insurance."

Chuck saw her eyes pooled with tears as she was reminded once again how different her life had become.

"Sarah, I'm so-"

"Don't, just get me to the hotel, I need to be alone."

They crossed paths walking around the front of the car. Chuck let his hand sweep across her shoulder as they passed. He glanced at her one more time before getting into the car.

Chuck sat behind the wheel for the first time. Waiting for Sarah to close the door, he took off and paid for the parking fee with his new company credit card.

The drive seemed longer than he remembered. But soon enough, he pulled into the parking lot of Sarah's old hotel.

"How will you pay for the room?" Chuck asked concerned.

Sarah smiled now. "I haven't been left destitute, Chuck. I have a severance from the CIA. I have time to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. And I had saved a substantial amount of money. I do have a future."

Chuck looked at her somberly. "Just as long as you include me in that future."

Sarah's smile was sad but Chuck saw that she tried. "I can't imagine a future without you," she said and opened the door.

Chuck followed her into the hotel. He had been here so many times before but now it felt strange to be here. Like this was a relic of their past and not a part of their lives now.

After Sarah paid for the room, he walked her up to the door. But there she stood waiting to say her goodbyes.

It was clear to Chuck he was not being invited inside. "Look, just call me when you're ready, OK?" he said softly, trying to let her know he was there for her.

She did not meet his eyes. "OK."

Chuck turned to leave.

"Chuck…I love you. This is just a tough time for me," she said trying to smile.

"Call me," he said and walked down the hall and out of sight.

The elevator ride back to the lobby was lonely. He missed Sarah the moment the doors closed behind him. And if the elevator ride was lonely, the drive to Ellie's felt desolate. And as he walked into the apartment for the first time in over six weeks, he felt as though it was another's life, another Chuck that used to live here.

Ellie and Devon were watching TV but when they saw Chuck come through the door, they both jumped up and bound for their roommate.

"There he is. There's my hero brother." Ellie hugged Chuck tightly before holding him away from her to get a look at his face. She looked around. "Where's Sarah?"

Chuck tried not to show his disappointment. "She's staying at her hotel for tonight."

"Is everything OK?" Ellie knew Chuck too well.

"She just needs a night alone," he said it as though he didn't want to talk about it anymore. Ellie picked up on the vibe.

"Are you hungry? I could fix you something to eat."

"No, actually I'm not hungry at all." Chuck threw the keys to the Porsche in bowl on the way to his bedroom.

"Chuck, please stay with us for a little while?"

He turned and sighed heavily. "Sis, I'm just worn out. I promise that tomorrow we will catch up. I just can't right now," he said going into his bedroom and closing the door. He pulled off his clothes down to his skivvies and fell into bed.

It felt so good. He was asleep before he knew it.

X-X

What was that sound? He couldn't make it out. Whatever it was came from far away. But then it started to get closer and closer. Then he realized what it was. He looked at the clock before reaching for his phone ringing quietly on his bedside table.

His eyesight was blurry and he couldn't make out who was calling at…2:10 a.m.

With his voice not ready to work yet, he spoke. "Hello."

"Chuck."

"Sarah, are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just wanted to hear your voice."

"I'm so glad you called."

"Chuck."

"Yeah."

"I've been thinking that I'm a complete idiot. You know why?"

He laughed. "Why?"

"Because I'm spending the night in this lonely hotel room when I could've been with the man I'm so completely in love with."

"When you put it that way, yeah, you're an idiot," he said trying to stay serious and failing.

Sarah was silent on the other end and Chuck was afraid he'd blown it.

"Would you come get me?"

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

Chuck jumped out of bed, completely awake. He threw on his clothes and crept out of the apartment making certain not to wake his sister. He drove like a madman to Sarah's hotel. The white stripes of the streets going by so fast they looked like a single line. The street lights reminded him of dominoes falling piece by piece.

Finally, he saw the hotel in the distance. And then he saw Sarah waiting for him out front. She wore a white Tee shirt and a pair of jeans and she had a backpack slung over her shoulder. He stopped the car beside her and when she got in she leaned over and kissed him long and hard, her hand behind his head pulling him into the extended kiss. As they sat back in their car seats, their chests heaving with excitement, Sarah looked over at the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

"Get me to your bedroom in twenty minutes or I swear, I'll find I way to do it in this Porsche."

Chuck looked around at the space in the Porsche and although he was intrigued by the thought, he popped the clutch and took off like a rocket. As they rushed along the semi-empty streets of Burbank, Sarah reached her left hand to the back of Chuck's neck and moved her open fingers through his hair.

_I love his hair, she thought. _

He arched his head and shoulders back and enjoyed her touch. He vaguely remembered her doing this before, long ago. It felt as good now as it did then.

As they drove back to Ellie's apartment, Chuck made a noise somewhere between a laugh, a snort, and a sigh.

"What?" Sarah asked of his outburst.

"Look at me. I just can't believe my life. I'm driving this Porsche, I have a new job and one of the most beautiful women to ever have walked this planet, is rubbing her hand through my hair. On top of that, I've got a group of ultra nerds that like to call me Carmichael, Charles Carmichael." He looked at Sarah and smiled. "Life doesn't get any better than this."

"Oh I beg to differ, Charles Carmichael," she said with a sultry smile. "Life is going to get a whole lot better in about five minutes."

Chuck pushed the accelerator to the floor. The car took off matching the acceleration of Chuck's heartbeat.

X-X

At exactly 3:15 a.m. Chuck and Sarah walked into the front door of Ellie and Devon's apartment. They hurried back to Chuck's bedroom as fast and as quietly as they could, pulling off pieces of each other's clothing as they went. Their lips finding and losing each other as they moved in their haste to become one.

X-X

"Devon, wake up. Did you hear that?"

"What babe," he said still groggy.

"I thought I heard a woman scream."

"I didn't hear anything, Go back to bed."

"Devon, I know I heard something. Get up and check."

"Ellie, come on. It's almost 5:00 a.m."

"I'm telling you I heard a woman scream out a man's name."

"What name?"

"Carmichael, Charles Carmichael, that's what I heard."

Just then Sarah giggled loudly and Ellie and Devon looked at each other and jumped out of the bed running towards Chuck's room.

Ellie knocked but opened the door immediately.

"Oh, Chuck…Sarah, I'm sorry I didn't know you were here."

Ellie was completely shocked at the sight before her. There was Chuck and Sarah sitting up in bed. Chuck's bare chest was drenched in sweat. The blankets covered him from the waist down. Sarah wore one of Chuck's work shirts unbuttoned. Her skin clearly visible through the shirt as her perspiration had soaked through the material. Her lather soaked hair hung in clumps and she looked exhausted.

They smiled at Ellie and Devon. "Hi guys," Sarah said sheepishly and closed the gap in the front of her shirt.

"Sarah, I'm sorry to barge in on you. I didn't know you were here," Ellie said, her voice excited and high pitched. "I thought I heard someone scream Carmichael, Charles Carmichael"

"Uh, yeah-that was me. It's kind of a joke." Sarah's smile was bashful.

Ellie looked at the two of them more closely. She then turned to her fiancé. "You're going to have to tell me that joke," she said seriously as she pushed him out of the doorway. "We'll see you in the morning," she said looking back at them until the door was completely closed.

**A/N: This is how I would like to see them hook up. Now the hard part...keeping the story interesting after they've hooked up. Let me know if you liked the chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: OK I'm a little early with this. I hope you enjoy the ending. Let me know if you do.

Something all couples go through.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Eighteen

"Ellie, I want to thank you for letting me stay here with you and Devon for these last three weeks."

"Sarah, I wouldn't have had it any other way. And besides, Chuck would have had a conniption if I would have said anything," Ellie said smiling. "More wine?"

Sarah smiled just a little too broadly. "Yes please."

"Me too, me too, Amanda said holding her glass out toward their host.

The three women sat in Ellie's living area sipping wine with cheese and had been for almost an hour. As the minutes rolled by, the smiles grew larger. Ellie still wore her hospital greens having taking a half a day off. She had taken her shoes off and had her feet propped up on the coffee table.

Sarah was wearing jeans with a tank top. She'd picked up on the fact that Chuck loved her in that easy going combo.

Amanda wore the same kind of clothing that Sarah used to wear. Black stretch slacks with an athletic style top. Clothing you can move in, if necessary.

This was the third week in a row that these three gathered at Ellie's apartment for a little libation and a lot of girl talk. The first week just sort of happened when all three met accidentally at Ellie's apartment. One thing led to another and they ended up drunk. Chuck had to actually drive Amanda home once he got back to the apartment.

The first week was more getting to know each other. The second week was more personal yet and now they were really getting to know each other.

Sarah and Amanda had two things in common, the first was their jobs and the second… Chuck.

Sarah liked Amanda on one level. She knew that Chuck liked her too. But what bothered her was that she knew deep down that Amanda liked Chuck. And, if Sarah was out of the picture, she would step in. Sarah had a problem with that. But when she thought about it logically, she didn't really blame her.

"So, Ellie, are you and Devon planning on having a family soon or are you gonna wait for a while?" Amanda asked.

"We don't know. We've talked about having children but our careers are just taking off. We just don't know what we're going to do."

"It's not like you have to do anything right now. You can take your time and have children later." Sarah seemed uncomfortable with the very subject.

"What about you Sarah? Have you and Chuck talked about your plans and if children are in your futures?" Amanda looked at Sarah keenly for her response.

"Uh, no. We've never discussed that." Sarah looked around at the other women in the room. "Chuck and I are just beginning our lives together. We're moving in to our own apartment tomorrow. It's a little early to be talking about having a family."

"After what I saw that first night you stayed with Chuck, I would advise that you talk about children as soon as possible," Ellie said looking at Amanda with a knowing look.

"What did you see?" Amanda leaned in across Sarah as she asked the question, her shoulder pressed into Sarah's. Amanda was completely comfortable with Sarah.

"Well, I didn't see anything really. It was just how Sarah looked after...." Ellie looked up at Amanda and smiled. "You know…after"

Amanda's eyes grew wide and she looked at Sarah. "Oh, do tell."

Sarah grew quiet. She was uncomfortable discussing her sexual encounter with Chuck in front of these two women. Amanda noticed and thought it was odd because she knew what Sarah must have had to do in the past to get the job done. Being prudish just didn't fit the profile of a CIA agent.

"Well if I wanted to take a picture of a woman satisfied from lovemaking…I should have taken a picture of Sarah that night. She was soaking wet in her own perspiration and it was just the look on her face." Ellie's voice had taken on a conspiratorial tone.

"Oh come on, it wasn't like that," Sarah said a little nervously.

"Amanda, I guarantee it was like that."

The two women on either side of Sarah giggled ignoring Sarah's discomfort.

"It's funny; I don't even remember what Chuck looked like because that would have been icky," Ellie said as she thought about it.

That gave Sarah the opening she needed to get the subject off of her and onto a subject she had not completely finished with herself.

"Ellie, you don't have to tell us about what Chuck looks like. We both know what he looks like naked. Amanda's probably seen him in the buff more than I have."

"What?" Ellie turned her attention to Amanda. Her voice seemed unbelieving.

"That's not fair. We were working." Amanda's expression showed hurt.

Sarah pressed on. "Are you telling me that you and Chuck spent four days lying out in the sun and sleeping together buck naked and not one thing happened? Not even one touch?" Sarah's voice had risen in pitch.

"That's exactly what I'm saying. We didn't do anything that the job didn't call for." Amanda realized that Sarah was a little unsure about what might have happened and she guessed that Sarah had not asked Chuck about it. She knew that open communication would not be easy for Sarah. She understood Sarah very well having seen her type more than once in the CIA.

"You slept together naked?" Ellie asked. "And you did nothing?"

Sarah's smile took on a triumphant tone. "You see, Ellie finds it hard to believe as well."

"That's right. That's exactly what I'm saying. And…just so you know Sarah, I would have," Amanda said looking triumphantly into Sarah's eyes.

Amanda had enough wine inside her to become very honest. Had she had all of her faculties about her, she would have kept silent.

"I didn't really know you, and Chuck was such a great guy. And he felt so good lying next to me. I would have. But he wouldn't. So you should just forget about it."

Ellie looked at Amanda and then to Sarah not really sure how her brother's girlfriend would react to this new information but she saw a contented smile spread across Sarah's face.

"He wouldn't?" she said still smiling.

Amanda let out an exasperated sigh. "No, he wouldn't. Now can we talk about something a little more interesting?"

"Have you seen Sarah's new car?" Ellie said sensing a need to change the subject.

"No, but Chuck has told me about it. A Mustang huh." Amanda said. "Do you like it?"

Sarah smiled then. "Yeah, I do. You know its Chuck's favorite car. He talked me into it."

Ellie became more at ease now that these two had eased back into a more pleasant place.

"Amanda, you have to tell us how things went with Greg this past weekend? Details, I want details," Ellie said genuinely interested.

Sarah's interest level peaked as well. "Wait, before you begin. I want to know one thing. Are you going to see him again?"

Amanda looked at Sarah puzzled. "Yes, why?"

Sarah looked at Ellie and smiled. "Third date rule."

Amanda's expression of puzzlement increased. "I don't understand, what's the third date rule?"

Sarah and Ellie's smiles grew bigger yet.

"The third date rule states that if you like a guy well enough to say yes to a third date then…" Sarah hesitated trying to find just the right words. "Then you have to say yes to something else." Sarah smiled at Amanda and waited for her to catch on.

"Oh," she said. "Well I think that can be arranged."

All three began to giggle.

"Sarah we'll need to let Greg know at some point that he owes us for telling Amanda about the three date rule," Ellie said completely intoxicated.

The three continued to laugh when suddenly Amanda stopped and looked as though she was completely distracted by something else.

"Sarah," she said seriously.

"Yes," Sarah said still laughing.

"How many times did you go out with Greg?"

The laughing stopped. In fact Sarah's smile disappeared completely.

"I don't know, a couple."

"A couple meaning two or three?"

"Does it matter?" Sarah did not look at Amanda.

"Two or three times, Sarah/" Amanda's voice grew more demanding.

"Amanda, Greg and I went out on maybe four dates. That's all."

"Four dates,' she said her voice growing louder. "And did the three date rule apply to you?"

"That was a long time ago. I'm sure I didn't even know about the three date rule then."

Amanda looked pointedly at Sarah. "Yes or no? That's all I'm asking."

Sarah finally looked up to meet Amanda's eyes. Then she glanced quickly over at Ellie. "This is hard for me because I've not talked with Chuck about this. And I think I owe Chuck.."

Although Sarah had not admitted to anything, both Ellie and Amanda knew exactly what she was saying.

"Sarah, you don't have to worry about Chuck. He knows that he's not your first. Surely you know you're not the first woman he's been involved with?"

"No, it's not that. I just don't want Amanda saying anything to Chuck before I got the chance."

"You think I'd do that?" Amanda's voice raised and her hands clenched. The wine and the rivalry combined to create an explosive situation.

"How would I know what you'd do." Sarah's body language matched Amanda's.

Ellie, even in her inebriated state saw that these two had some deep seated, real issues to work through.

"OK, girls. We are going to change the subject. We're supposed to be having fun."

Sarah stood. "I'll be right back," she said still agitated as she went to the bathroom.

Ellie took the initiative to move to where Sarah had been sitting. She watched her until she went into the bathroom and closed the door. She then turned back to Amanda.

"You really slept with Chuck completely naked?" she asked in a low voice.

Amanda nodded her head. "I know it drives Sarah crazy thinking of me scrunching up next to him like that."

" And nothing happened?" Ellie's demeanor had become more serious.

"It's just like I told Sarah…_nothing_ happened. Why is that so hard to believe?"

Ellie smiled in a motherly manner at her young houseguest before looking at her from head to toe. "Well sweetie, you would be hard to resist."

"I can assure you and Sarah that he did just that."

At that point the girls heard the bathroom door open and they waited for Sarah to return. Sarah sat in Ellie's chair without noticing the switch. She had a puzzled look on her face.

"Sarah, is everything OK?" Ellie said.

"I was just thinking about our conversation earlier. You know about having children and I remembered something that I need to talk with a doctor about," she said distractedly. She looked to Amanda with a knowing look.

"You can talk to me about anything," Ellie said.

Catching on, Amanda stepped in. "You know what, Sarah you should probably see one of the CIA doctors. You're supposed to do that when you leave the service."

"Yeah, I'd forgotten that. I just remembered in the bathroom."

"I don't understand. Why would you need to see a CIA doctor?" Ellie said with a wrinkled brow.

"I have some issues that I need to have, uh…taken care of," Sarah said.

"What kind of issues?" Ellie would not let up.

"Birth control issues. Or to be more precise…hormone issues."

Ellie's frown drew deep. "What are you talking about?" Ellie moved over closer to Sarah and was about to question her further.

"Everyone be quiet there's Chuck. I don't want to talk about his right now. I'll talk with him when we're in our apartment tomorrow night."

Just as she stopped speaking the door opened and in walked Chuck.

"Hi Chuck," all three spoke in unison and smiled at him absurdly.

Chuck looked at the three women who were clearly intoxicated and laughed good naturedly at their collective goofy smiles. Only Sarah seemed to have a serious thought in her head.

Amanda noticed the look that Sarah and Chuck exchanged and decided that she wasn't going to be a third wheel.

"Well, that 's my cue. I see enough of this guy at work. I'm going home." She walked up to Chuck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the check.

"Keep your tongue in your mouth when you do that," Sarah tried to make a joke.

Amanda smiled at her. "Only when you're watching."

"Amanda," Sarah and Ellie called out together. Ellie continued alone.

"You can't drive in your condition. Chuck, can you drive her home."

Chuck looked at Sarah to make sure she was OK with it and then turned to the beautiful brunette that still had her arm around his waist as she put most of her weight on him.

"Come on you. I'll get you home," he said half carrying her out to the black Porsche.

Chuck opened the passenger side door while balancing Amanda on his hip. He got her positioned in the seat and got in himself. Five minutes later he was speeding down the road.

Amanda had thought about the conversation the three women had at Ellie's. The more she thought about Sarah sleeping with Greg the madder she got. She go so mad that in her current state she thought it was a good idea to get even.

As Chuck pulled up out front of the hotel Sarah lived at for almost two years, Amanda gave him her most seductive look. "Come on up for a while," she said.

It was all he could do not to laugh. She was so looped it was funny not seductive to him.

"I'll see you at work tomorrow," he said smiling.

For some reason it just struck a nerve with Amanda. She was tired of getting Sarah Walker's scraps.

"It pisses me off to know that she's got you and she had Greg and I'm just watching from the sidelines."

She no more than had the words out of her mouth, when she realized what she had said. Her eyes grew as big as saucers and her expression showed pure panic.

"Chuck, please. I didn't mean to say that. Don't tell Sarah that I told you."

The intensity of her look of alarm was matched by Chuck's look of despair as it sunk in what she has said.

"What are you saying Amanda? Sarah and Greg. When?"

Amanda was too panicked and too inebriated to think clearly.

"When?"

"Chuck, please don't say anything. I promised I would let her tell you."

"Amanda, all I want to know is when it happened."

"It was over two weeks ago, but I don't know exactly when. She had meant to say years not weeks but didn't notice.  
"Chuck, give her time to tell you. I know she will. I'll bet she tells you tonight."

"I'll see you Amanda," he said and waited for her to get out of the car. When she did he took off without another word leaving her standing watching him speed back to Sarah.

X-X

"Chuck, we're spending our first night together in our own apartment. I thought you'd be a little more excited," Sarah said realizing that something was bothering him. She feared she knew what it was.

"I'm excited," he said with no emotion in his voice.

Sarah had decided to wait until tonight to discuss the subject of previous lovers with Chuck but now with how he was acting, she wished she had discussed it last night. With his cold and unresponsive manner, she could not seem to bring up the subject.

So the time ticked off the clock slowly. Until finally Chuck could not stand it any longer. He had all he could take of his mind seeing Sarah with Greg.

"You know Sarah if you had something that was bothering you. Or just anything you wanted to tell me…I think this would be a good night for it," he said cringing internally because he really didn't want her to say anything.

She knew that she should but the words got stuck in her throat. And instead of sitting down with him and explaining that she had a one time fling with a bright and good looking project director two years before she met Chuck, she said nothing.

Chuck just got angrier and angrier as he thought about Sarah with another guy just two weeks ago. It made him think he was a fool for not doing anything with Amanda.

He meant to sulk off into their new bedroom but halfway there he turned around and just blurted out what was on his mind.

"I can't believe you slept with Greg. And when you slept him is beyond belief."

That's what Sarah needed to free her voice. Anger. It was always her vocal lubricant.

"I knew she would spill her guts. Even after she promised not to. I swear the next time I see her-"

"This is not about Amanda. This is about you. And what you've done."

Sarah saw the hurt in Chuck's expression and was puzzled by the depth of it.

"Chuck, this is nothing. It was just a fling. I just needed a distraction at the time."

"What! How can…Sarah it does mean something." Chuck was reeling from his thoughts.. "How can you treat this as though it were a minor thing? I can't believe… Is this the real Sarah Walker?" he said walking into the bedroom and closing the door.

Sarah watched the door close with open jaw. Something wasn't right. She knew that if they could talk they could find out what it was. But talking wasn't her strong suit and she knew it. But she had not overcome all of her fears and left the job she loved to let this end badly.

With gritted teeth, she marched towards the door. Her mind was a fog as she tried to think about what she needed to say to make Chuck realize that the thing with Greg really was nothing. Especially, since she met Bryce right after that.

_And Chuck knows about Bryce, she thought. _She knew this was a horrible mistake and as she reached the door she realized how simple the answer was.

Opening the door, she stepped inside to find Chuck lying on the bed with an awful scowl on his face. She ignored it.

"Chuck, before you say anything. Let me ask you one question. And please give me a chance to finish."

Chuck just sat silently in the bed.

"My question is this. What do you think I've done?"

Chuck looked at her, his brow furrowing as he realized Sarah was actually talking. She was asking him to communicate what he was thinking. If he were not in so much pain he would have asked her who she was and what had she done with Sarah Walker.

"You're really gonna make me say this?'

"Yeah, I think I need to hear you say it."

"I think you had sex with Greg."

Now it was Sarah's turn to be confused. "I did have sex with Greg. But-"

"How can you-"

"Hold on Chuck. Let me finish." Sarah voice raised as her own anger boiled to the surface. She knew that something was still not right. She racked her brain but she couldn't see where things had gone wrong.

But that's when Chuck gave her the clue she needed.

"I thought you loved me, Sarah. But you don't love someone and jump into bed with the first guy you run into-"

"Chuck. I slept with Greg in 2005. Two years before I met you."

Chuck looked at Sarah with a mixture of hope and fear. What?"

"When did you think I slept with him?"

"I thought it was two weeks ago."

"What?" Now it was Sarah's turn to be mad. "That was after we talked on the phone."

"That's why I was so upset," Chuck said hoping she now understood.

"Get out. Get out of here. You've got the couch tonight. I don't want you near me. I can't believe you'd think that I would sleep with anyone after everything we've been through."

Chuck found himself in the kitchen of his new apartment not really sure how he got there. _How had this gone so terribly wrong? How is it that now I'm the bad guy, he thought._ But that's when he heard it. At first he wasn't sure what it was but as the dawning of realization gnawed at the outermost regions of his consciousness, a feeling of despair hit his chest like a ball-peen hammer. It felt as though a building had just fallen on him.

That sound.

That terrible and awful sound made him feel as though he should not be breathing. He didn't care who was right or who was wrong. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered now but to make things right. He just realized that he could not tolerate the sound of Sarah Walker crying.

Especially when she was crying because of him.

Walking to the door of the bedroom, he opened it slowly. Sarah, I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"I told you to get out! I can't stand the sight of you right now," She screamed in her anger. She got up on her knees as she yelled at him.

Chuck looked into her eyes. Those pretty blue eyes that usually only smiled at him. But now they were angry. Not only angry they were hurt. Chuck saw the pain. Pain lying just beneath the surface of her cobalt blue eyes, but he could see it and he knew it was his fault she was in pain.

"Sarah, please. I'm sorry."

"I don't care what you are. Get out!"

In an instant he went from sorry to angry. "What do you want me to do? I said I was sorry. What more do you want me to do?" he repeated, his voice raised.

But as he said it, he saw the turmoil, the conflict, the love and the hate that flashed in her eyes, all within micro seconds. Only he would or could have noticed because only he knew those eyes. Only he had spent so much time within them. Only he knew them from the inside out. That's when something changed for him. Like a switched had just been turned on. He didn't care what she said. It didn't matter. She was in pain, pain that he'd caused.

No, it didn't matter anymore what she said because his job now was to ease that pain. When he saw the flash of emotions all fighting to be let loose, to escape those beautiful blue eyes, he knew what his responsibility was. He stepped toward her and put both hands on her forearms just below the elbow. Holding her like this and staring into her eyes, he asked the same question he had only moments before. He used the same words in the same order that he had before but now, it was a different question altogether.

"What do you want me to do?" he said earnestly.

She looked up to him. Hearing the change in his voice see needed to see his eyes, to see the story his eyes, the story only his eyes could tell.

He watched the anger leave hers, but not the pain. And then she asked him a question that he didn't expect.

"Do you know why I left the CIA for you?"

"Because you love me," he said hesitantly.

"No, not because I love you. I loved Bryce. I would have never left for him. I left because I thought that you and I had something special. And I don't mean the everyday garden variety of special that everyone has if they stay married for any length of time. I mean something no one else in this city has."

"Sarah we do have something special." It hurt him to think she doubted it.

With tears coming out of her eyes still, she tried to talk but couldn't and looked down to escape his stare.

That simple movement tore at him like razor blades to his heart.

"Sarah, what would you have me do?" he repeated.

"I want you to believe that I would never; ever under any circumstance do anything to hurt you. I don't' care if one person tells you I've done something or the whole world tells you. I want you to know that me…" she pointed to her heart when she spoke. "I want you to know that I would, could not hurt you. I want you to know that. That's why I left the CIA…for that special something that I don't even have words for. Please don't tell me I've made a mistake."

Chuck couldn't take it anymore. He moved closer to her, wrapping her in his arms holding her as tight as he could. His whole world ached. Every muscle, every joint, every thought that he had ached with the knowledge that he had let her down.

Pushing her away from him so he could catch her eyes, he spoke.

"Sarah Walker, I promise you here and now that even if the whole world turns against you. I will not. Even if one person or a million people try to convince me different from what you tell me yourself. I'll believe only you. No matter what."

She searched his eyes for the truth and finding it she found his mouth with hers. They kissed long. They kissed passionately. They kissed with a desperation not seen that night in LA. Because as Sarah Walker knew only too well. What they had was special.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: Having a hard time sticking to my five edit rule so I'm posting quicker than I originally thought I would. I am anxious to see the response on this chapter.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Nineteen

"This place is great. But I feel like I'm on one of your missions in this tuxedo," Greg said looking around at the large dance floor and the Max Bishop Big Band belting out a song he had heard but didn't know the name of.

Chuck and Sarah smiled at his joke.

"We rarely dress this nicely when we're working," Amanda said over the sound of the music.

The Sky Room was like the name implied, full of windows and skylights and the starlit sky was easily seen as the foursome sat at their table. The décor was elegant but modern.

"Do you guy's come here often?" Greg asked Sarah.

"The Sky Room is a little out of our price range unless it's for really special occasions," Sarah said leaning over into Greg's ear so he could hear her. "Like you coming out to Los Angeles to see Amanda." Sarah didn't see the change in Amanda's expression when she leaned close to Greg.

"I can tell you one thing. I'll never hear the end of it when I tell everyone back on the second floor that I went to dinner with Charles Carmichael."

"Ah, my fans," Chuck said smiling.

Greg looked down at the dance floor with concern. "Do you really expect me to do that?" he said to Amanda.

"Well not until you've had another two of these," she said holding up a martini.

"So Amanda, how many times have you and Greg gone out?" Sarah asked innocently. But the smile she gave Amanda was very knowing.

Amanda looked at Greg. "What is it, Greg, our third?"

"Yeah, I think so," he said while watching the dancers.

Eyebrows were raised amongst the other three and Greg never caught on.

"Three dates, that's a bit of a milestone, huh Greg?" Chuck said as he smiled at everyone at the table.

"Yeah, I guess."

"So, do you two remember your third date?" Amanda said smiling at Chuck and Sarah.

"I do," Sarah said looking into Chuck's eyes.

"Hold on, I need some definition on what's a date. Does it count two years ago?" He captured her gaze as well.

"No, that was not a real date." Sarah's tone meant end of discussion.

"So anything work related doesn't count?" Chuck was alone at the table with Sarah even though Greg and Amanda hadn't moved.

"That's right," Sarah said smiling into his eyes. She enjoyed this banter as much as anything she could think of.

"Then strictly speaking this is our third date. Isn't it?" he said mock seriously.

Sarah hit him on the arm. "No, out third date was two weeks ago at the movies." Sarah looked at Amanda and waited for the response she knew was coming.

"So if I add up my facts…you were a premature third date rule girl?"

Sarah laughed. "Strictly speaking, I guess I was."

"Slut," Amanda shot back while trying to keep a straight face.

"What? What are talking about here?" Greg said confused looking back to Amanda.

Chuck, Sarah and Amanda couldn't help but laugh.

Sarah reached over and laid her hand on top of Greg's.

"Oh, we're just talking about dating in general and specifically how nice third dates are. You know they say that it's the third date where couples sort of let their guard down and really get to know one another."

Sarah looked over to Amanda and stopped smiling. She pulled her hand from Greg's when she saw the expression on her face. Amanda's eyes had turned dark and she was shooting ice daggers at Sarah.

Sarah didn't want to have a scene and came to a decision on how to best correct the situation.

"Amanda, care to join me in the ladies room?" She gave her a knowing look.

"You bet," Amanda said with enough conviction that Chuck picked up on the fact that something was different. He followed the two women with his eyes until they were out of sight.

When Sarah walked into the elegant facilities of the Sky Room, she made sure the room was empty. She then turned on Amanda.

"I saw that look you gave me. Surely, you aren't going to tell me that you have a problem with me laying my hand on an old friend's from the CIA? Someone that I've known for almost ten years."

"You've been all over him all night. Talking in his ear, playing touchy feely with his hands. And who knows what you've done that I've not seen." Amanda was getting louder with each word.

"I've not been all over Greg," Sarah said just as loud. "I like him. I like the fact that you two like each other. But surely you know that Chuck's the only guy for me?"

"What I know is you're not happy unless you have both guy's drooling all over you. You have a great guy. Isn't that enough for you?"

"Amanda, I just laid my hand on his. That's not the same thing as what you laid on Chuck a couple of weeks ago."

"That was different and you know it. We were on a mission."

"And it was absolutely essential to the mission for you to lay your naked body on top of his?" Sarah's voice had risen as she spoke of a situation that still struck a raw nerve with her.

"That was work. This is not."

Sarah looked into the mirror and saw the red dress she wore. It reminded her of another dance she was at but couldn't quite recall the circumstances. But then she remembered. She wore this dress the last time Bryce had come to town and they went on a mission together, along with Chuck and Casey. She remembered the confusion of that time, realizing that she had fallen for Chuck and yet knowing that she shouldn't feel about him like she did. But then Amanda brought her back to the moment. She pushed the guilt she felt every time she thought of Bryce to the back of her mind.

"Don't compare what we do on the job to what we do in our private lives." Amanda went on.

"What is this about…really? Is this about me flirting with Greg? Or, is this about Chuck?"

"You don't know the impact you had on Greg," Amanda said harshly.

"Greg and I spent one night together. I barely remember it. I would guess that he doesn't remember it either."

"Oh really! Do you remember what you wore to bed that night? No, well Greg does. Do you remember how many times you made love? Greg does…three times. He remembers what positions you made love in. He even remembers what you talked about between sessions," Amanda said with an expression that was clearly accusatory.

Sarah was shocked. She didn't even remember they had made love more than once. She didn't know what to say. So she spoke the truth.

"I'd just got back from Lisbon. I had almost been killed and I was really freaked out. Greg was a friend and I just needed someone…" Sarah didn't finish. "It didn't mean anything."

"Well it did to Greg." Amanda said.

"This isn't about Greg though is it?"

Amanda took a step back. "I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean, is this about Chuck? Are you so infatuated with Chuck that it drives you crazy that I have him?"

Amanda laughed. But Sarah was not convinced. "That's it isn't it? Are you in love with Chuck?"

Amanda's demeanor changed with the latest accusation from Sarah.

"No, I'm not in love with Chuck. Look, I see how he looks at you. I know there's no chance with him even if I was in love with him."

Amanda turned away from Sarah but continued to talk, her voice subdued.

"I like Greg. He's a good guy. I want what you and Chuck have. I'm not sure that Greg is going to give me that."

When she turned around Sarah saw that she had tears in her eyes.

"Chuck and I have been together for over two years. What you're seeing now is the end of two years of agony for both Chuck and myself. Two years of not having what I wanted. It makes you appreciate having it in the end. I've been in love with him almost from the first day I met him and yet we just got together with that phone call you helped to make happen. For that I'll always be grateful to you."

"Sarah, I'm a jealous person. I didn't know that about myself until recently. I seem to be a little sensitive when it comes to you. I'm not sure what that's all about." Amanda smiled honestly at Sarah. She had calmed down and was trying to make amends.

Sarah took a deep breath to collect her thoughts. She was tired of this old argument. She wanted to end it once and for all. Not have it rear its ugly head later. She knew that she had a hand to play in that as well.

"Amanda, I like you. I like Greg. I hope you two get to know each other and make it. But I love Chuck. I think you know that there's no one else for me. I don't mean this in a bad way but I have no reason to get between you and Greg. I don't desire him at all."

Sarah took a step closer to Amanda and grabbed her hand.

"But I don't want to loose Greg as a friend and the same thing goes for you."

Amanda took a step back pulling her hand free and regarded Sarah carefully. But something Sarah had said had obviously connected with her. Just when she was about to speak, the stall door opened and out walked a frumpy lady wearing diamonds on both wrists, her neck and her ears. She reeked of wealth. But she was obviously in shock from what she had heard. As she finished washing her hands, and as she past the younger women to leave the restroom, Sarah turned to her and smiled.

"It's a script."

"Excuse me," the lady said.

"What we were saying. It's a script. We're actresses."

"Oh," the lady said and then began to smile. "Well, you're both very good," she said and left the room.

Sarah and Amanda looked at each other and began to laugh.

"She's right about that," Sarah said.

"What's that?"

"We are very good," Sarah said. "I would like to be able to put this behind us."

Amanda looked at Sarah for a moment and then stuck out her hand. "My friends call me Mandy. I hope you'll call me Mandy from now on."

Sarah smiled. "Mandy it is," she said. She held the door for the younger woman. "I've got an idea. How about I let you dance with Chuck and you let me dance with Greg some tonight. I'll let you flirt with him all you want," Sarah said hoping the truce would hold up.

"I can't flirt with Chuck when Greg's around," Amanda said honestly.

"Oh, then you do care what he thinks?"

Amanda smiled at the blonde as she walked back to the table.

"Well, I guess I better. It is our third date. I don't want to make him mad at me and spoil the night."

The two women were laughing as they made it back to the table.

"What's so funny?" Chuck asked.

"Girl talk," Sarah said.

Chuck knew her well enough to know that by the way she said it she didn't want him asking any more questions.

Sarah leaned over to him and whispered in his ear.

"I'll tell you all about it later."

Sarah looked up in time to see Greg kissing Amanda and she smiled.

"I think three martinis are just about the right social lubricant to start dancing. What do you say Miss Walker?" Chuck asked when he heard the beginning of Tommy Dorsey's Moonlight in Vermont.

"If you think your up for it."

Chuck pulled Sarah's chair out for her, just like they did in the movies back in the forties. He walked her to the dance floor holding her hand at shoulder height. Their eyes never leaving each other's as they walked.

Amanda and Greg both watched as they began to dance. Amanda noticed the serenity that Sarah exuded when in Chuck's arms. They sat at the table and watched them dance without speaking. It was a comfortable silence.

Amanda thought about her life. About joining the CIA and leaving her boyfriend. She wondered if she would have been happy with him. She knew she would have never known what was possible in a relationship. She looked back to the dance floor, to Chuck and Sarah holding each other so comfortably.

Amanda was pulled from her reverie by Greg's hand touching hers.

"Care to dance," he said trying to sound suave.

She smiled at him. "Very much."

Greg imitated what he had seen Chuck do moments before. The song stardust began to play and they danced their first dance together. Amanda found that she could lay her head on Greg's chest perfectly. She was surprised to find that he was more muscular than she had anticipated.

The foursome danced for an additional three songs before sitting back down.

"The band is really good," Greg said after everyone had settled into their chairs.

"Max Bishop is a hot commodity out here if you like big band music," Sarah said.

"Charles, where did you learn to dance? The CIA?"

"No, Greg. If I told you about my first dance lesson and then how my first dance went I'm afraid you might think less of me," Chuck said smiling as he recalled Awesome showing him how to tango.

"No chance of that, Sir."

Chuck and the two women stared at Greg in reprimand.

"Sorry, I'm just so use to calling Agent Carmichael sir," he said.

"Call me-"

"Charles," Sarah interrupted looking at Amanda for support.

"Charles it is," Greg said.

"Well Charles, I think I've waited long enough for you to ask me to dance," Amanda said looking at him with a quizzical smile.

Chuck stole a quick look to Sarah before turning his attention to Amanda.

"Well, then allow me to correct that horrible oversight," he said as he got up to escort Amanda to the dance floor.

Sarah saw the look on Greg's face and said to the two as they walked to the dance floor.

"We're going to sit this one out."

Sarah then looked at Greg and smiled.

"Are you having a good time?" she asked.

"Very, this is great."

Sarah looked Greg in the eye feeling a little uncomfortable from what Amanda had said in the bathroom. She still had no clear memory of their night together. She was happy about that.

"Amanda's really a great girl."

"Yeah she is. I've really enjoyed getting to know her."

Sarah smiled thinking that tonight he was going to get to know her better than he imagined.

The busboy came and removed all of the dinnerware just as Chuck and Amanda returned from the dance floor.

"Would you excuse me I need to go to the ladies room?" Sarah said getting up to leave.

Chuck watched her leave. _I love that dress. I know I've seen her in it before but can't remember where, he thought. _

Sarah had not been gone two minutes when a man walked by and noticed Chuck.

"Chuck? Chuck Bartowski?" he said.

Chuck looked at the man blankly for a second.

"Dirk, Dirk Benedict. How are you?"

"Better than you it appears," he said looking at the threesome and laughing. "Are you still waiting on Jill to take you back?" His tone was condescending.

"Do you have any idea who you're talking to?" Greg asked incredulous that anyone would speak to Agent Charles Carmichael like this bozo was. "This is-"

"Honey, now is not the time," Amanda said cutting her boyfriend off. She then leaned into his ear and whispered. "This is work."

Greg got the message and sat back amazed that he was watching the great Charles Carmichael in action.

"Uh, Dirk I'm-"

"You still working at that retail store?" he asked laughing. "Weren't you voted most likely to succeed or something. Man that was a joke."

Just then Sarah walked up and sat down beside Chuck. She had heard most of the exchange on her way to the table. She grabbed Chuck by the back of his head and pulled him into a long, wet, noisy kiss.

She then looked longingly into his eyes. "Take me home," she said and finally looked at the man standing by the table with his mouth open to his chest.

"OK then," Chuck said. "You heard the lady. I'm ready to go home. Oh, Dirk it was good to see you again. Tell everyone I said hi." He watched out of the corner of his vision as Dirk never took his eyes off of Sarah.

Chuck walked Sarah to the front and picked up their jackets at the coat check. He made one more glance to find Dirk had not moved or closed his mouth. Chuck waived to his old college buddy who weakly raised his hand in reply.

"Thanks for that," he said to Sarah.

She smiled at him. "Don't mention it. You would have done the same for me."

"Yeah, but I wouldn't have the same impact."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that. You know the great Charles Carmichael does make a powerful first impression."

Chuck smiled as they walked outside to say goodnight to Greg and Amanda.

They found them waiting by Amanda's green Lamborghini.

"You two have a great night," Sarah said as she moved closer to Amanda.

"If you work hard enough maybe you will erase the memory of a certain blonde that should have faded long before now." Sarah whispered in her ear.

"I'm gonna give it my best shot," she said smiling back. "Thanks Sarah…for everything."

Sarah turned back to Chuck. "OK Agent Carmichael take me home," she said breathlessly.

As they drove out of the restaurant parking lot in the black Porsche, Chuck saw Dirk standing outside the building looking at him with his mouth still open. Chuck smiled and waived as they sped by.

_It doesn't get any better than this, he thought_. He then looked at Sarah remembering the last time he said those words. Sarah was right that night when she told him it was going to get better. Somehow he had the feeling that tonight was going to be his lucky night as well.

He sped down the highway from Long Beach back to Los Angeles with a smile on his face.

_Life is good. _


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Here's a little nothing chapter that moves the story on and gives us some insight into our favorite gal. Just a couple of chapters left. Hope you like it.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twenty

Chuck walked into his apartment and veered straight for his bedroom.

"Chuck, can I talk to you for a second?" Sarah said sitting on the couch in their living room.

Chuck glanced at her on his way, but stopped dead in his tracks after seeing something in her expression that he'd never seen before. It was not really her expression. It was the look in her eyes to be specific. And upon seeing it, he forgot about why he was in such a hurry to get to his bedroom.

"Are you OK?" he asked hurrying to sit down beside her. He looked closely at her just to be sure that he saw what he thought he saw. Sure enough, there it was. Fear, he had never seen Sarah look afraid before and it scared him.

"Yeah, I'm OK. I just have a favor to ask you."

For the life of him, Chuck could not understand what could possibly make Sarah afraid and, what could she possibly need him to do to help her? He waited not able to take a breath.

"I've scheduled a doctor's appointment. And I was hoping that you would come along with me?" Her face took on the look of a little girl.

Chuck wanted to cradle her in his arms and protect her. Protect her from whatever it was that frightened the child inside Sarah Walker.

"Of course I'll go. When is it?"

"Tomorrow, I know I should have told you before now but I wasn't sure I would keep the appointment."

Chuck moved closer to her and took her hand in his. With his brow furrowed in complete puzzlement, he looked deep into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he said mistakenly thinking that maybe Sarah had some serious health issue. "What's got you so upset?"

She started to speak and then abruptly looked at her lap. She tried three additional times to tell him her fears but could not make the words come out of her mouth.

Finally, and in a small voice she began as she raised her gaze to his. "I just really hate going to the doctor." She couldn't keep the connection with his eyes and looked away. "I can't think of anything I hate worse."

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

Sarah looked into his eyes, pleading. "You'll laugh."

"No, I promise. Tell me what's wrong?" His voice was more urgent.

Sarah took a deep breath. "I'm afraid of needles."

Chuck almost blew it. But he held back the snicker before she noticed. But then he remembered something that he had tried to forget. He knew why she was afraid of needles.

He moved even closer and put his arm around her. "No problem. I'll take you. Why are you going? Are you not feeling well?"

Sarah felt relieved having confessed to Chuck her irrational fear. She knew she had put off this conversation as long as she could. She knew that they needed to talk about other things as well. This doctor's appointment dealt with many of the issues they needed to speak of.

Chuck waited. He saw by the look in her eye that she was ready to talk. He didn't really want to talk about this because he didn't want to flash again. It was too painful.

"No, I feel fine. But I need to have a small operation to undo something the CIA did when I started working for them."

"Undo? Sarah, what are you talking about?" Chuck was confused by the sudden turn of the conversation. He was sure that they were going to talk about why she was afraid of needles.

"You got time to talk?" she said realizing this would take a while.

"Sure, you gotta tell me what's going on now?"

Sarah pushed him away. "Sit over there. I'm OK but this is serious," she said as she continued to push him away from her. For some reason she needed some distance between them to discuss this subject.

Chuck moved away and sat on the other side of the sofa with a leg propped up underneath him. He tried to look relaxed but failed. He knew why she was afraid of needles. This was something he had wanted to discuss with her when he first flashed on it. But enough time had gone by that he put it to the back of his mind. He thought it would make her mad when she found out he knew something about her professional life that she wanted kept private.

"What do you want to talk about?" he said.

"The doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"OK."

All of a sudden she became tongue tied. She couldn't find a comfortable place for her hands. "I have to have a minor procedure tomorrow. It's nothing serious."

Chuck became concerned. "What kind of procedure?"

She steeled herself and then met his eyes. "I have an implant that needs to be removed." She wanted to say more but couldn't. She knew that Chuck would have to pull this out one question at a time.

"What do you mean, implant? What kind of implant?"

"It has to do with birth control. But it covers a lot more than that. It regulated my hormones among some other things."

"OK, so let's take it out." But as he studied her response he saw that there was more involved than he first realized. "Say it. Say what you're not saying," he said seriously.

"There are risks involved." She said it quickly as though if she had taken more time she would not have been able to say the words.

"Sarah for God's sake, tell me what's going on?" he was frustrated by the lack of progress.

His frustration spurred her into speaking. "There are risks associated with removing the implant and there are risks associated with keeping it in place." She waited for him to ask another question and then realized he wasn't going to. "If I keep the implant, there is a five percent chance that one or more of my internal organs will fail over time."

"What! Remove the implant. OK, just remove the implant." Chuck's emotions had boiled to the surface.

Sarah continued on without apparently noticing. "If I have it removed, there is a seventy percent chance I will be infertile."

"I don't care. Take out the implant," he said in a demanding tone.

"Hey!" Her tone grew angry too. "My body. My decision. You understand?"

"You've already made a decision, haven't you?" he said with an accusatory tone.

"I'm not sure," she said surprised at his willingness to fight.

"Not sure? What are you waiting on?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Sarah, it has to come out."

"What about children? I know you love kids."

"I don't care. The risk is unacceptable. Besides, I can't have children if you're dead."

She refused to meet his eyes. "Not with me anyway."

"Sarah no. There is no one else. Don't you understand? It's been you. Ever since that day in the Buy More. It's been you. If we don't have kids then I won't have kids. Understand?" He looked at her with tears in his eyes and moved towards her. She tried to keep him away but he was having none of it. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. "Without you…there's no reason for me," he said desperately.

"Chuck, don't say that."

At that moment it was all too much for him. He couldn't understand why Sarah acted the way she did. "Don't tell me what to say! Don't you dare tell me what to say. I've waited for two years for you. I'm not going to loose you now."

"OK, OK ssshhh. We'll take it out." She just needed to know that that was what he really wanted.

"You promise, the implant comes out?" he bored into her eyes.

"I promise."

Chuck was relieved but now that he had thought about Sarah's fear of needles he was not ready to walk away without discussing it. He stole a quick glance at her and then began.

"Sarah, I know why you're afraid of needles," he said nervously.

Sarah's posture stiffened. "What do you mean," she asked cautiously.

Chuck glanced at her before looking down. He then raised his eyes to meet hers. "I flashed on your hospital report back in 2003. I know you were tortured for three weeks in Manila. I know the torture involved needles."

Sarah blinked her eyes to keep the moisture from collecting. "I almost quit because of that. You can't imagine how terrifying it is to have no control in a situation where you are completely helpless."

Chuck squeezed her hand having no other response. The lump in his throat would not allow him to speak.

"What else do you know?" She kept her voice controlled to avoid breaking down.

"I know you received four commendations before coming to LA for your last assignment…and, one reprimand."

Sarah waited for Chuck to finish. She knew he had more to say.

"I know what the reprimand was for." He licked his lips nervously as he waited for her reaction.

"I was young. I made a mistake. I deserved the reprimand."

"Calling it a mistake is arguable," he said simply.

Sarah just laughed without humor.

"I flashed on that after we agreed not to explore our feelings about a year ago. Remember? At the fountain at Ellie's?"

Sarah nodded her head. She stayed silent as though trying to figure out what she wanted to say.

"I never thought we would get together after learning about Ryan," Chuck said.

Ryan had been an asset that Sarah was in charge of. They were not romantically involved but she liked him. She thought he was funny and she allowed herself to like him. Chuck flashed on the details of Sarah's reprimand. He knew that Ryan had been killed and the CIA determined it was due to Sarah's lack of focus. Because she regarded him as a friend and not an asset.

"I didn't either," she said. "But not because of Ryan. I thought you wanted what I thought I couldn't give you."

Chuck looked at her amazed. "What's that?"

"A normal life…a normal wife." Sarah had taken the chance of speaking the word that would have been impossible mere weeks before. But she could have been ripped apart by the wrong reaction from Chuck. She continued to meet his eyes as she tried to ascertain what he was thinking.

Chuck blinked exactly three times before he opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out. "A normal wife," he finally repeated. He didn't know where to go from here. He had noticed that Sarah had started discussing subjects that she would not have just weeks ago. He realized she was changing, becoming more open…more communicative.

"What a fine pair we were. I break it off with you thinking I'm helping you out and you accept that decision without question thinking I want something more normal," he said moving closer to her to wrap her in his arms.

"But you were right about one thing," he said

She asked her question with her expression.

"You will never, ever, under any circumstances be a normal wife."

When Chuck saw Sarah's face fall her continued on. "Because you are exceptional. You will never be a normal wife. I couldn't be happier about that."

Her smile grew and grew until it was full on.

"You want to talk about that right now?" he asked.

She continued to smile. "No, after the doctor's visit. He could give us bad news."

"Sarah, I don't care what he tells us. It has no impact on how I feel about you."

She smiled and kissed him. "I knew there had to be a reason I fell in love with you," she said.

He gave her his best 'what do you mean' look. "What's not to love?" he said holding his hands out to his side.

X-X

"OK Miss Walker. Are you ready to get this over with?" The doctor asked.

Sarah looked at the instruments on the pan to her right and then looked to her left into Chuck's eyes. She just nodded her head trying not to think about those horrible three weeks in Manila.

"Good. You're going to feel a small prick and then it will all be over."

Sarah squeezed Chuck's hand so hard he wasn't sure if he could stand it much longer but then she relaxed as the medicine took hold.

"OK Agent Carmichael, you need to wait outside now. I will ask the nurse to get you when she starts to wake up."

Chuck had already been given the details of the procedure. He knew that Sarah would be out for about an hour. He went to the waiting room and watched for the nurse to get him.

He already knew from previous question and answer sessions with the doctor that if Sarah was going to have an adverse reaction to the removal of the implant, it would happen within forty eight hours.

After a couple of hours, the nurse notified Chuck that his girlfriend was in recovery. That she had done just fine and was recovering normally.

An hour later, Chuck sat by her bedside and waited for her to wake up. He stared at her. He was always amazed at her beauty. It was classic. It was beyond classic. It was eternal. It was…he didn't have the words.

"Hey," she said waking him from his mental rambling.

"Hey," he repeated. "How do you feel?"

"Take me home," she said.

"Hold on. You have to stay here for a couple more hours. Just to make sure everything's OK. Then we'll go home."

She smiled. "We'll go home," she repeated. But Chuck knew that there was significance to her statement that the words alone failed to convey. He couldn't wait to get her home. He knew they had a lot to talk about. But for now, he had to wait. He had to make sure she was OK. Because he had decided.

He had a question to ask her.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: An unusual chapter. I hope you like it.

The next chapter is going to be something that's never been done in fanfiction at least as far as I know. But you have to read this chapter to undertand the next.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twenty One

"Sarah! It's me," Amanda said walking through the front door.

"I'm in here. I'll be out in a sec," Sarah said from the bathroom.

"Hey, I'm just going back to your closet. I want to borrow that red dress we talked about."

"OK, you know where it is."

Sarah walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. "You want a cup of coffee?"

"Are you having some?" Amanda yelled from the bedroom.

"Yeah."

"Then fix me one too."

Sarah fixed two cups, one with cream and extra sugar and one black. She sat the black coffee in front of herself. In a moment, Amanda came into the kitchen carrying the red dress on a hanger. She hung the dress on the kitchen cabinet handle.

She sat down across from Sarah and looked at her over her coffee cup. "Did you talk to him?" She continued to stare as she sipped.

Sarah looked away. "Not yet. I just haven't found the right time."

Amanda looked exasperated. You've only got two days until you leave. Don't you think you better talk to him?"

"I've been thinking. Chuck is going to flip. I think I should call Director Mella back and ask him to get someone else."

"OK, but you better do that right now. So he has time to get a replacement."

"Oh, why did I agree to do this in the first place?" Sarah then looked hopeful as she looked at her friend. "Chuck will be home in about thirty minutes. Can you stick around when I talk to him?"

"Oh I would but I've got to get ready for a date…remember? Greg's in town."

Sarah sighed. She knew she had gotten herself into this mess. She was going to have to deal with Chuck alone.

"Look, just tell Chuck what you're doing. It's a simple surveillance job. You don't even have to be armed. Chuck won't be too angry."

"Oh yes he will. But not because he'll be afraid it's too dangerous. It's that I agreed to do it without telling him. And he's got every right to be upset."

Amanda regarded Sarah with interest. "You guys are taking this couple thing pretty seriously aren't you?"

"I guess," Sarah said holding her left hand up to rub her eye. The large engagement ring clearly visible to Amanda.

"Oh – My - God. When did he give it to you?"

"Two nights ago. I was going to tell him about the job but before I got the chance, he asked me to marry him." Sarah looked happy but a little bit apprehensive.

"What did you say?" Amanda deadpanned.

Sarah smiled. "We haven't set a date yet but I doubt if we wait that long."

"He's not said anything about it to Casey or me."

"I'm sure he doesn't want to hear what Casey will have to say."

"Like it's gonna matter what Chuck wants," Amanda said. "Casey is going to have a field day with this. I expect he'll come over to see you two just so he can get a few digs at you."

Sarah didn't doubt it.

"Look, I would like to stay and give you support but Greg's going to expect me pretty soon. I really need to get going," Amanda said as she got up, grabbed the dress and walked towards the door. "Thanks for the dress," she said as she left.

Sarah nervously worked about the kitchen cleaning up countertops that were already clean as she waited for Chuck to get home. She felt as though she had let him down by not at least discussing this temporary assignment with him before accepting.

Just when she was about to look at the clock for the one hundredth time in thirty minutes, Chuck walked through the door.

"Hey sweetie," he said walking straight to her to give her a kiss. "How was your day?"

Sarah was in no mood for small talk. She had to get this over with. "Chuck, sit down. I've got something I have to tell you." She regarded him silently as he sat in the same seat that Amanda had just vacated thirty minutes ago.

"Chuck, I've done something that I regret very much."

Chuck had no idea what she could possibly be talking about but his mind feared the worst. He did not respond and waited for Sarah to continue.

"I talked with Director Mella a few days ago. In fact, he called me to ask me if I would be interested in a temporary assignment." She looked away from his intense gaze as she continued. "I know I should have talked about this with you first but I told him I would do it." She looked at him hoping that his reaction would not be too bad.

"Is that it? You had me worried. I didn't know what to think. Just tell me you're not doing anything dangerous."

"He said I wouldn't even need a gun, just a simple surveillance operation. I'll be gone for two nights only."

Chuck got out of his chair and walked around to where she sat and gave her a huge hug. "You're having a harder time than you realized giving this up aren't you?" he asked.

"It's not that. But it feels good to know that the CIA still wants me. I felt abandoned there for a while."

"When do you leave?" He still had her wrapped in his arms.

"In two days. I will be gone for two nights. Then we've got some plans to discuss," she said smiling and holding up her ring.

X-X

Chuck dashed into the underground spy room of the Orange Orange. There were two very apprehensive government agents already there when he ran down the steps.

"Casey, Amanda. Sarah was supposed to be home last night and she never showed. Lets get somebody working on finding her," he said finishing up his sentence as he stood before the two of them.

He watched as the two exchanged looks. Even Casey seemed reticent to talk. That's when Chuck knew something was very wrong. He found it difficult to get the air he needed to ask his next question.

"What is it? What do you guy's know?"

Amanda glanced at Casey hoping he would speak up but when she saw that he was not going to, she began.

"Chuck there is a rumor floating around Langley that Sarah has rejoined the CIA and has gone deep under cover. The word is she requested a long assignment."

Chuck looked from one to the other, not able to form a sentence.

"Chuck, I'm so sorry," Amanda said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Bartowski, I said this a hundred times and Irving can vouch for me on this. I said Walker would leave you. She's wired differently than most of us. Deep cover is in her blood. She has to have it like a meth addict needs his next fix."

"Chuck the word is that Mella will give you a call in a day or two. The rumor is that Sarah asked him to talk with you."

"Go back home Bartowski, there's nothing to do here today anyway. I'll give you a call when we have something to do," Casey said with a little sympathy in his voice.

Chuck stared blankly at him for a moment and then turned towards the door like a zombie and wordlessly left the building. His mind was incapable of thought.

Amanda waited for him to leave and then dialed her phone.

"Ellie, Amanda. I need to talk with you about something. Chuck's going to need our support for a while."

X-X

"Chuck, do you want something to eat? I'll be happy to fix you something," Ellie said as she looked at her brother with concern.

"Ellie, I'm fine. All of you, I'm fine. There is no need for you to be hanging out over here." Chuck's apartment held Ellie, Devon, Amanda and John Casey.

"I just can't believe that Sarah would leave like this," Ellie said for at least the tenth time in the last hour.

"We talked with General Beckman this afternoon and she confirmed that Director Mella has stated officially that Sarah Walker has indeed rejoined the CIA and has gone on a long term assignment."

"I just spoke with her yesterday. She was happy. She showed me the ring Chuck gave her. I just can't believe it," Ellie said.

Finally, Chuck spoke what had been on his mind ever since he first heard the news. "I don't believe it. I don't know what's going on…but Sarah has not left me."

Everyone in the room, including Casey, looked at Chuck with sympathy. Chuck saw that they thought he was in denial and bit his tongue.

"Bartowski, I can assure you that wherever Walker is right now, she's thinking of you. I can guarantee that she's in pain and turmoil from leaving you like this," Casey said.

X-X

"I have all the time in the world Agent Walker. Tell me what I want to know and this will all be over. I'll make sure you don't feel a thing," the little man with a Hitler mustache and greased back hair, said.

"Sarah was close to breaking but she had not given up yet. She held out hope that Chuck would be looking for her by now. _If I can hold on for another day, she thought. _

When the little man left the room, she struggled with all of her might but it was hopeless. She was at the mercy of this horrible man with only the hope that Chuck would not give up looking for her.

She knew that Director Mella had set her up. She now knew why. He was Fulcrum and he suspected her of seeing something in Yuri Karlanov's office that gave away his position. The little man was only trying to determine whether she had told anyone. She knew that once she talked, she was dead.

She rested trying to gather her strength, both mental and spiritual. She cried a couple of times while calling out Chuck's name. If she would have been a weaker person she would have given up a long time ago.

She took a deep breath and prepared for another session when she heard the warehouse door open. _Chuck please find me, she thought_. _I don't think I can take much more._

"If I get off of this gurney, I will kill you and enjoy every second of it, she screamed.

But then she screamed for real.

X-X

"I cannot believe that Sarah would choose to go on another assignment without so much as a word to me," Chuck said as he stood in front of the Director of the CIA's desk.

"I had asked her to do a small job for me and then when she called back to confirm, she asked if she could go deep instead. I hadn't anticipated that but as it turned out…I had something she was interested in." Director Mella sat in his chair looking up at Agent Carmichael.

"We were engaged. I just can't believe she would do this."

"Oh, that reminds me. She wanted me to give you this," he said as he handed Chuck the engagement ring.

That's when he knew for sure. Before he had suspected, but as he looked at the ring that was just handed to him, he thought about the look on Sarah's face when he gave it to her. She was happy. She was not pretending. He looked at the Director and used every ounce of effort not to let his face show what he was thinking.

"Thank you sir, I'll be going back to LA as soon as possible."

"Good man. We'll make sure you get back to work and get your mind off of this unfortunate situation."

Chuck nodded to him and left. He walked aimlessly down the hallway on his way to the front of the building. _How was he going to find Sarah if Director Mella was involved? He thought._ The only thing he knew to do was get back and talk with Casey and Amanda. He wasn't sure how he was going to get them to believe him but he knew that somehow he had to. But as he looked up, there was Project Room Four. He suddenly had an idea. He walk towards the room with hope.

"Agent Carmichael, How are you?" Mille said.

"Hi Millie, is Greg around?"

"He's in his office," Mille said.

"Call him. I need to talk with all of you."

Millie looked into Chuck's eyes and saw that he was not making an idle request. She hurried off to make the call.

Forty seven seconds later, Greg walked into the room.

"Agent Carmichael, what brings you-?"

"Greg, I need your help. Sarah's in trouble. I need to find her."

Greg looked at Chuck perplexed. He had heard what happened to Sarah. "I'm sorry Agent Carmichael, how can I help you?"

"I need to have a phone traced. I need to know where a particular person is calling to." Chuck looked around the room at everyone.

"No problem. Whose phone do we need? Do you have the number?" Greg asked.

Chuck pulled out his phone and looked up the number for Director Mella's phone and gave it to Greg.

Greg stopped short. "That's the Director's number," he said.

"That's right."

Greg took a step backwards. "Are you out of your mind? We can't trace the Director of the CIA's phone," he said with finality.

Chuck looked at everyone in the room. He knew he had to play this right to have any chance of getting their help. "You guy's know me. You know my record. I don't make mistakes." Chuck knew he was over the top but he pushed those thoughts to the side and continued on realizing that Sarah was out there somewhere and she most likely needed his help.

"Yeah but the President himself appoints the Director of the CIA. You expect us to listen in on his phone?" Greg continued clearly not on board.

"Yes, I'm telling you," he looked around the room. "I'm telling all of you that Sarah Walker is in trouble. She needs our help. And if she doesn't get it, well I don't know what will happen," Chuck said with a stricken look on his face.

Chuck saw that Greg was on the fence. He was about to say more when he was beaten to the punch.

"I believe him," Mille said. "I say let's help."

There were numerous agreements spoken throughout the room. It was enough to embolden Greg.

"Twenty four hours. That's all you got. If we don't pick anything up then I'm saying it's over. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Chuck said.

Greg sighed amidst the general excitement within the room. "What do you want us to look for?"

"I need the destination of every phone call he makes. I'm only interested in warehouses and empty office buildings, that sort of thing."

"OK, we'll start right away."

Chuck shook Greg's hand. "I owe you man." He turned to the room. "I owe you all. Just call me when you have something," he said leaving the room.

X-X

Chuck was on board the CIA jet when he got the call from Greg. "Agent Carmichael, we have a call that matches our search criteria." His voice was matter of fact and he said nothing more than was necessary.

"Location?"

"Playa del Ray, I'll send you the address. Uh, Agent Carmichael, I'm pretty sure I heard a woman screaming in the background."

"Carmichael out." Chuck knew his voice would break if he tried to say more. He looked at his watch. He would be touching down in less than two hours.

They were the longest two hours of his life.

X-X

Chuck's GPS took him directly to the location that Greg had sent. He parked a block away and hurried to the warehouse.

He listened outside for a second but heard nothing. He snuck inside being as quiet as he could. The warehouse was empty with an occasional marine motor and a couple of small boats in storage. There were tarps lying around in a random manner. There were hoists throughout as though the building had been used for manufacturing in the past. Chuck walked about fifty yards to another section of the warehouse. He walked through the double swinging doors into the open area. There, he saw an area that was completely enclosed with a canvas tarp. He looked around and listened for any sounds or movement. Hearing nothing, he made his way to the canvas walls in the center of this part of the warehouse.

He opened the flap just a hair to look inside and just about lost the strength in his legs. He hurried inside to where the blonde woman that made life worth living lay on a hospital gurney. Her skin did not seem to be cut but it was discolored with numerous red blotches. Her shirt had been ripped open and showed many blotches on her stomach and breasts. They were on her neck and face as well. She was covered in sweat.

Sarah Walker was also unconscious.

Chuck began to untie the restraints at her wrists feverishly. He finished those and began to work on the restraints on her ankles but had to stop when he heard the swinging doors outside the tent.

There was no place for him to hide so he had to wait at the door to surprise whoever came through. To his relief, the man was much smaller than himself and he jumped on him wrapping his arm around the man's neck and squeezing down as hard as he could.

To his surprise, the man was stronger than he appeared and began to shove Chuck backwards as he tried to pry Chuck's arm from underneath his neck.

Chuck held on tighter as he slammed into Sarah's gurney. His back bending over the top of the small bed.

Chuck was completely unaware that the man had pulled a knife from his pocket and had opened it. He pushed it hard into Chuck's side causing him to release his grip on Sarah's torturer.

Chuck looked at the knife and moved away from Sarah hoping the man would follow him and not use it on Sarah who was helpless on the gurney.

To his relief the man stepped towards him intent on finishing the job with Chuck. "When I'm done with you, I'm going to kill the woman. Just got the call. Can't wait to see her take that last breath," he said in a voice much too deep for such a small body.

Chuck looked around but found nothing he could use to defend himself, nothing except for a folding chair lying flat on the floor. As the man advanced on him, he picked up the chair and swung it hard as he could striking the man in the chest and knocking him back to the gurney. Just as he was about to raise himself off the bed, Sarah sat up and wrapped her right arm underneath his neck.

Chuck rushed towards him and grabbed his arm before he could use the knife to defend himself against her. Sarah quickly removed her arm and replaced it with her hand. The little man, although much stronger than he appeared was no match for both Sarah, even in her weakened state, and Chuck.

Chuck's weight pressed against him moving him back to where his neck was laying on Sarah's lap. She made sure he was looking in her eyes when she squeezed his throat as hard as she could. She squeezed until she heard a sickening pop in his throat. She squeezed until after his eyes bulged out of his head.

As his body hit the floor, Sarah yelled, "Get me out of here," she said as she worked upon her restraints.

Chuck released the restraints as fast as he could and then their eyes met. His body crashed into hers. He hugged her hard. Too hard.

"Chuck, Chuck, you're hurting me." Her voice was weak and hoarse from screaming.

He stopped not knowing what to do to help her. "Can you walk?" he asked.

"I can damn sure walk out of here," she said as she leaned heavily on his shoulder.

It took ten minutes but Chuck got her into the car. When he was out of the area, he called Ellie to meet them at their apartment. He knew Sarah needed medical attention.

When Chuck hung up he looked to Sarah. She was already staring at him. She began to cry. "I almost gave up. But then I told myself that you would not give up and that I had to hang in there just a little bit longer."

With tears streaming out of his eyes, he answered her, "They said that you had left. Everyone tried to get me to believe it. But I remembered you telling me you would never hurt me. Remember? I hung on to that. I knew you meant that and I knew you hadn't left."

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder and her hand on his side to stop the bleeding. It was all she had the strength for. But it was all he needed.

Chuck drove her home calling Casey on the way. He wanted Casey to have all of the facts. He had just finished explaining everything to Casey when they pulled up in front of their apartment. Ellie was there waiting on them and had to help both of them get into the house. Chuck had lost a lot of blood by then.

Ellie wanted to take them both to the hospital but they refused. So she bandaged up Chuck's side which was not as bad as she feared and she started Sarah on a saline solution. After a couple of hours, they both rested comfortably in their own bed.

Casey and Amanda came into the room and saw that Ellie had matters well in hand. To say that Casey was thunderstruck was an understatement. When Casey felt like he had let someone down, someone he cared for, he reacted with even more reckless abandon than he normally did. He called General Beckman and with the information that Chuck and Sarah provided on Director Mella, the head of the CIA was arrested within the hour. General Beckman was in charge of the arrest.

Casey had begged her to let him have just ten minutes with the former CIA Director.

Of course, she refused.

X-X

Ellie and Amanda sat in Chuck and Sarah's living room. Ellie had been checking on her charges periodically when Amanda came in.

"How are they?" Amanda asked.

"They're sleeping. They have been for a couple of hours," Ellie said.

"Can I check on them?" Amanda asked.

Just be quiet. I don't want them waking up."

Amanda snuck to their bedroom door and slowly opened it to peer inside. What she saw would stay with her the rest of her life.

Chuck lay on his back on the right side of the bed. His right arm stretched out for Sarah to snuggle up underneath. Sarah lay on her left side with her face lying on the side of Chuck's chest. Her right arm rested on Chuck's stomach. Her right leg draped over both of Chuck's legs.

As Amanda looked at them, she recognized the peaceful expressions they both wore. They were together. That's all that mattered.

Amanda knew she was going to Washington for the week. She would see Greg every night. As she looked back to Chuck and Sarah recuperating on their bed, she wandered if she and Greg could have what Chuck and Sarah had. She knew that Greg had demonstrated great courage when he gave the order to listen in on Mella's phone. _That was a good sign, she thought._

She looked back at Chuck and Sarah and smiled at them as she closed the door. She knew that what they had… she wanted.

Amanda walked back to Ellie with a smile on her face and a determination within her spirit.

**A/N: Like I said, the next chapter will be a first. As far as I know. **


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: OK, I wimped out a little on this but I still believe it is basicially the first of it's kind.

Tell me what I'm talking about.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twenty Two

Amanda had every intention of asking Chuck if he would go with her. She thought that by now, Sarah would realize that she wasn't out to steal him. And, this was obviously not the kind of thing you took a guy that you were trying to steal.

Besides, Chuck had promised.

She rolled to a stop in front of their apartment and thought about why she wanted Chuck to go with her and not Greg. She found that slightly discomforting.

Although it had only been four days since Chuck had rescued her, she was up on her feet and seemed to be back to the old Sarah that everyone loved. Just as these thoughts rolled through her mind, she watched as Chuck and Sarah walked out of their apartment, hand in hand.

Amanda took one look at Sarah and realized that this was her time to be with Chuck. She knew that with everything that Sarah had been through, she deserved a little downtime with her fiancé. It was with sadness that Amanda realized she could not ask Chuck to go home with her.

Amanda put the car in drive without taking her eyes off of the happy couple and then drove away. She phoned in a ticket purchase for St Louis on Northwest Airlines. She dreaded going on this trip alone but when she saw the look in Sarah's eyes, she knew that Sarah needed Chuck right now more than she did.

She briefly thought about calling Greg. She knew that he would drop everything in an instant to be with her. He had been hinting around about wanting to know something about her past. But for some reason she wasn't ready to let Greg know that much about her. She believed that she was moving in that direction…but she wasn't there yet.

She went to her apartment and threw some clothes in her two day bag. She was an experienced traveler and it showed as she was ready to go in about fifteen minutes. She was back into her car and drove straight to LAX.

Amanda tried not to think about the reason she was going home in a rush. She had not talked with her sister in about a year and half and her mother and father had been even longer. She dreaded seeing them. She dreaded seeing her father in the hospital. Her memory of him had always been that of a strong man. She knew that he would most likely be wasting away. She had been completely blindsided by the call from the CIA that her father was sick.

X=X

Amanda felt lucky. She made it through security without much trouble and she was able to upgrade to first class. To top it off she got an aisle seat.

She was the second person on board and had her bags stowed before most of first class had boarded the plane.

She was relaxing trying not to think about that awkward moment when she saw her family for the first time, when a tall statuesque strawberry blonde walked on board.

_She is attractive enough to be a model, Amanda thought. _

It was more than just how attractive she was it was the way she carried herself. Like she knew she was beautiful. She was the kind of woman Amanda usually took a serious disliking to.

Much to Amanda's dismay the blonde indicated that her seat was inside of Amanda's. And as she squeezed through the opening that Amanda created for her by crossing her legs and moving them over almost parallel to the front of her chair, the pretty woman sat down without even acknowledging her existence.

Amanda bit her lip as she was determined not to say anything that would cause a stir. She couldn't afford trouble. The CIA would frown severely on that.

But just as she was starting to relax again, the woman began to speak.

"Excuse me. Would you mind handing me your sky mall magazine?"

Amanda noticed that her words had asked a question but her tone was more commanding. She bit her lip even harder and handed the woman the magazine.

"Thank you," the woman said.

Amanda fake-smiled at the woman in response.

"Do you ever think that men are pigs?" the strawberry blonde said as though they had been in a conversation all morning.

Amanda looked at her and laughed. "It's been an ongoing thought of mine for many years now." Amanda watched the blonde loosen up as she digested her response.

"Well I never had before now. In fact, I could get as low as the worst of them."

"What changed?" Amanda suddenly saw the woman differently.

"I started liking this guy. Now I know what it feels like to get walked on."

"Who would dump you? You're gorgeous," Amanda said earnestly.

"Honestly, I thought I'd found something special. Now I'm back to thinking there's no such thing."

"I used to think that. But then I met this guy."

"So you're in love then?"

Amanda looked at her. "No, he's in love with someone else."

"I rest my case."

"It's not that. I know both of them. And what my friends have shown me is that true love really does exist. Now the problem is… can I find it?"

"Yeah, that's the problem isn't it? Well, just ask you friend how she did it."

"Oh I have, trust me. Sarah wasn't even looking for love when she met Chuck." Amanda scooted around in her seat to look directly at the woman. "But you should see how they look at each other. I can't really describe it. But there is something…more. Like I said, I can't describe it."

"Your friends, what do they do?" The woman said becoming interested in a couple who had found true love.

"I don't want to talk about them. The point is that I know it exists."

The woman looked out the window at the grounds crew. "Do you live here in town?"

"For the time being I suppose. I suspect that I'll be leaving soon though. I think Sarah will take her old job back which will leave me looking for something to do."

"What do you do?" The blonde asked with interest.

"You know what? He's out there. You just got to keep looking," Amanda said ignoring her question.

The woman regarded her evenly for a moment. "What about you? What are you going to do?"

Amanda smiled. "I've gotta find out if this guy I've been seeing is my personal Chuck."

The plane began to taxi toward the runway and the strawberry blonde began to dig inside her purse. "I hate take offs. Once I get through that, I'm OK," she said putting a sleeping mask over her eyes which signaled to Amanda that she was finished for the time being with their conversation.

The two women had little to talk about for the remainder of the four hour flight from Los Angeles to St. Louis and only acknowledge each other briefly as they left the jet.

Amanda would have completely forgotten the attractive woman had she not saw her standing at the information desk talking on the phone. Amanda got the distinct impression that she was the subject of the woman's conversation by the look on her face when they locked eyes.

Amanda walked past her ignoring the urge to turn around to see if the woman continued to look at her as she walked away. Down the escalator and then another and a few hundred yards and she was waiting to take the bus to her rental car.

From that point on she could not tell the difference between this trip and a hundred others. And so before she knew it, she was driving a blue Toyota Camry north on US 61. There were times when the highway was single lane and times when it was dual lane.

She had driven this road many times as a young woman. Growing up in Quincy, Illinois had only one thing going for it when you were eighteen years old.

It was ninety miles away from St. Louis.

Before she reached Quincy though she had to pass through towns with the names of Troy and Eolia, large metropolises of tens of people. Then there was Bowling Green and New London before coming into the outskirts of Hannibal, Missouri. But just before she went into Hannibal proper she turned east on US 79 and crossed the Mississippi before turning north towards her home…Quincy, Illinois.

Exactly two and a half hours after touching down in St. Louis she pulled her car into her family home on 38th and Ellington Road. The Irving household was somewhat affluent nestled onto the ninth green at cedar crest country club.

Amanda knew before getting out of the car that nobody was home. _They're probably at the hospital, she thought. _

She nevertheless got out of her car and walked up to the door as though she was walking to a stranger's house. It actually felt odd to have memories of times spent with her family inside these walls.

As she walked through the front door, she shook her head because it was left unlocked. _The naivety of small town people, she thought. _

"Mom…Callie…anyone home?" Just as she suspected there was no reply.

She went into the kitchen and sat at the table. Looking at the refrigerator, she saw pictures of her sister still hanging from a magnet. She saw none of herself. She hadn't expected to. She knew that her mother and father were disappointed in her. They believed she had run away from college…from Steven, whom they loved, to be a hippy traveling the world with this made up boyfriend that swept her off her feet.

She had paid a heavy price to join the CIA. She would do it all over again if given the chance. But she knew that she had spent the equivalent of a lifetime of happiness with her family for the honor.

Taking just a little more time to look around the house before leaving for the hospital, she walked into almost every room. She did not walk into her old bedroom. She did not want to see it as a sewing room or whatever type of room they had turned it into.

But the other rooms brought good memories, memories that brought an upturned mouth to Amanda. She hated to leave the serenity of her memories to the conflict she knew that awaited her. But she had no choice. She knew her father was very ill.

Blessing Hospital was near the waterfront in the downtown area. She drove the twenty minutes without thinking much about her old life. She pulled into the visitor parking section and walked into the main entrance of the hospital.

"Can I help you," the lady at the information desk said when Amanda walked up to her.

"Joseph Irving's room please."

"Room 421," the lady said smiling pleasantly after looking down at her list.

Amanda took the elevator to the fourth floor and stepped out. She read the small signs on the wall that directed her to turn left to room 421. She felt as though she was a spirit occupying the body of someone she didn't know as she walked towards the room. And without hesitation she opened the door to the private room.

"Amanda, I knew you'd come," Callie, her younger sister by three years, said.

"Hi, Callie," she said as she hugged her sister. To her surprise, she struggled to hold back tears.

Her eyes rose to those of her mother's while still holding Callie in an embrace. Her mother's eyes were not as inviting as Callie's had been. In fact, they were not even friendly.

Amanda knew that she had hurt her parents beyond what any parent should have to endure. She saw it in her mother's eyes.

She was able to stop all but a single tear from escaping her eye. She quickly wiped it away as she released her sister and went to the bed to see her father.

Her father was asleep but she gasped as she saw him up close.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you cared enough about us to bother coming," her mother said, her voice full of anger.

Amanda ignored her. "He looks so small." She could not take her eyes off of him.

"He's dying. The only reason he's not dead yet is that he was waiting for you. He said that you would be home before he died." Amanda's mother smiled briefly. "I guess we have that much to be thankful for. He will die at peace knowing you're here."

Amanda had known that he was sick. But she did not know that he was dying. It was all she could do to stay on her legs. She wanted to collapse right on the hospital floor. Her daddy was dying.

"How long does he have?" She finally managed.

Her mother looked at her as though she were incompetent. "He has hours, not days."

In that moment, Amanda thought with a clarity she had never known before. She knew what was important and what was not.

"Can we wake him?" she asked in a determined voice, a voice that did not go unnoticed by her sister and mother.

In response, her mother shook her father gently on the arm. "Joe, Mandy's here…wake up Joe." She continued to shake his arm until his eyes opened. They went immediately to Amanda's.

"Hi Daddy," she said, now not able to stop the flow of tears.

"Hi Mandy Girl, he said as if he had been calling her by her nick name for these past five years.

Immediately Amanda's voice became serious. "I need to speak to my father… alone." She said no more and just looked from her mother to her sister until finally her mother sighed and got up from her chair and left the room.

There was a waiting room not far from room 421 and Amanda's mother and sister went there and they waited. They had no idea on what they were waiting on. The circumstance had no frame of reverence to either of them.

About ten minutes later, a nurse walked up to them. "Mrs. Irving, your husband wants you back in there now." Nothing more needed to be said and the nurse left without another word.

The sight Amanda's mother and sister saw when they reentered the room was shocking to both of them. Shocking in a good way.

Joe Irving was actually smiling as he looked at his oldest daughter. Amanda's mother had not seen him smile in months. Her mind reeled as she tried to understand what had just happened.

"Connie, come in her. I've got to talk with you," he said excitedly.

"Daddy," Amanda said in a cautionary voice.

"Don't worry, honey. I'll keep my promise." His eyes left his daughter to rest on his wife's. "Connie, Callie, come over here and sit down. I've got something to tell you."

Connie Irving noticed that her daughter squeezed her father's hand. She saw him again try to put his daughter at ease with his expression. Connie knew this man too well. She knew that something big had passed between them.

"You two are going to forgive Mandy here for being gone all these years. You hear me. She had a good reason. That's all I'm going to say about it." His eyes filled with tears when he stopped speaking. "Instead of being angry with her these past five years we should have been proud of her."

"Joe, what are you talking about?"

"I can't tell you, Connie. Amanda made me promise. And after hearing what she had to say, I know she's right. What she told me she's done these past five years will die with me. But I want you to know that I'm proud of her. And I want you to be too."

Connie Irving's head was spinning but she knew one thing for certain, and that certainty was Joe Irving. If Joe was OK with whatever Amanda had been doing these past five years, then she was too.

Her eye's left those of her husband's to those of her oldest daughter's. She saw the tears flowing from her eyes and she could take it no longer. She closed the distance between the two and wrapped Amanda in her arms. Everyone in the room 421 sobbed tears. There had been many tears shed in this room over the years but this time the tears were tears of joy. The prodigal daughter had returned home.

X=X

Joe Irving's funeral was on a warm day for mid March. Quincy had enjoyed a mild winter this year. Amanda stood by her mother and sister at the head of the funeral room as people she hadn't seen or had forgotten about streamed in to pay their respect to her father.

Since he died, the Irving women had bonded together in their pain. If there was any hard feelings from the past, Amanda sensed nothing of it. It was a time of healing for her.

But the two worlds of Amanda Irving came crashing together just then as she saw a beautiful blonde and a curly headed man walk through the entrance of the funeral parlor. They were both dressed in black and looked like diamonds. Chuck's sport coat over a crew neck shirt and dress pants was the perfect outfit for a spy. Sarah always looked great in a little black dress.

Amanda locked eyes with Sarah and lost her composure. Sarah had become her best friend in the entire world. Her only friend really. And as the two women hugged, Chuck saw the look of wonder that came across Amanda's mother's face.

When the two women finished, Amanda turned to her family. "Mom, Callie, this is my friend Sarah Walker. And her fiancé, Charles Carmichael."

"I'm so sorry Mrs. Irving," Sarah and Chuck said in unison.

"Thank you both," she said. "Where do you know Mandy from?" she asked.

"Mother." It was all Amanda said but it was all she needed to say. It was enough to tell Connie that these two were involved in whatever Amanda was involved in. It made her feel good because they looked to be made out of fine stock. Chuck looked like a million dollars and Sarah looked just as shiny.

After the funeral, Amanda insisted on Chuck and Sarah coming back to her house. She really hadn't had the opportunity to speak with either one of them.

As the five of them walked into the Irving house, Connie was shocked to see that a catering service had sat up a complete banquet inside. When Connie gathered her wits about her, she noticed a note on the kitchen table. She picked it up and began to read.

_With our utmost sympathy on this very difficult day. _

_Signed,_

_Coworkers of Amanda Irving. _

Connie looked at her daughter and handed her the note and watched her smile as she read it.

X=X

Chuck and Sarah stayed for a couple of hours. Enough time for Connie Irving to ask them some not too subtle questions about what kind of business they worked in. Chuck dodged her questions with ease but at the same time always told her, between the lines, what a wonderful person her daughter was.

Chuck had started talking about leaving and that reminded Amanda of something she had wanted to ask her friends once she was out of ear shot of her mother. So now that her mother had gone upstairs to get a sweater, it was the perfect time.

"How did you know where I was?" she asked.

Sarah smiled. "You know that obnoxious woman you sat next to on the plane?"

"Yes," Amanda said remembering back to the plane ride.

"That happened to be a DEA agent that I know very well. Evidently you described Chuck and me a little too closely. She gave me a call and asked if I knew a twenty something brunette whose father had just died," Sarah said. "She described your conversation and well…we do work for the CIA. It was easy to find you."

Amanda smiled and said nothing since she heard her mother coming down the stairs.

Just as Chuck and Sarah got their jackets and were preparing to leave, the doorbell rang. Callie went to the door and opened it.

"Hi, is Amanda here?"

Four heads turned in unison to see who was at the door.

"Yeah, come in," Callie said.

Connie watched Amanda's face light up as she recognized the voice. Amanda stood and left the room to meet the caller.

"Greg, hi, I'm so glad you came."

He hugged her tightly. "You should have told me. You know you can't hide anything from us."

"Uh, Greg. Careful," Amanda said..

He looked around. "Oh yeah. Sorry."

Amanda pulled him by the hand into the room. "Mom, I want you to meet someone…someone special," she said smiling up at him.

"Greg Stevens, Ma'am." He held out his hand.

"Hello Greg. It is so nice to meet you."

Sarah and Chuck decided that it was past time for them to leave. As she walked through the front door of Amanda Irving's family home, she saw a look of sadness on her friends face but with that she saw something else. a look that she had not seen before. Contentment.

_It looks good on her, Sarah thought. _


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: I am traveling with my wife this week. Will not have as much time to write so it may be a while for the next update. I hope you like this one. For those of you who didn't realize what the big deal was with the last chapter, it was simply that the subject of the chapter was Amanda...not Chuck or Sarah. I thought that was a first. Maybe not, if you know that someone else has done that in the past let me know.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twenty Three

Chuck had his feet on the couch and had fallen asleep while watching the news. He wasn't really asleep. He was in the space between wakefulness and sleep. So when he heard that sound, he wasn't really sure what it was.

But then Sarah screamed again.

Chuck jumped off the couch and scrambled as fast as he could towards the back of the apartment.

"Sarah what's wrong?" he yelled as he raced towards his girlfriend.

"Oh no, I can't believe it," she cried out again from the bathroom.

When Chuck realized she was in the bathroom and not their bedroom, he stopped in a hurry, his sock feet sliding across the wood floor and put his hand on the door with every intention of going in to see what was wrong.

"Stay out! I'm OK just wait out there," she said the frustration evident in her voice.

"What's wrong Sarah? Are you sure you're OK?"

"Chuck, give me a second here. I don't want you to see me right now."

"Are you hurt? Come on Sarah. Let me in."

"Chuck! Could you give me a second?"

"Sarah let me in, I know something's wrong."

Sarah snapped.

"You want in?" she shouted throwing open the door.

Chuck looked at her puzzled. "What the-"

"That's right. You just had to know didn't you? Well you know now. How do you feel?"

Sarah stood in the bathroom wearing a button down shirt, completely unbuttoned and nothing else but her left sock. Chuck looked at the bloody towel Sarah held in her hands and was afraid she had cut herself.

"Are you OK?" he asked again.

"Chuck, I started my period!" She screamed. "Now get out." She slammed the door in his face and this time he had enough sense to shut up and stay away. She had actually looked deranged standing in the bathroom like that.

"Ok, I'll just be out here," Chuck said to no one in particular, going back to the couch. He was nervous. He had never seen Sarah look or act that way before. He remembered the doctor telling her that she could expect to have a few months with her hormones out of sync before her body got back to normal.

Chuck tried to sit down again. Just as his backside hit the couch, he heard Sarah crying in the bathroom. Realizing that he was screwed no matter what he decided to do, he knew he had to do something.

He got back up and walked to the bathroom. "Sarah, if you need anything…I'm here for you." He heard her stop crying. He heard her moving around but couldn't tell what she was up to.

Suddenly, the door burst open and Sarah now dressed in a thin black robe walked purposefully up to Chuck. "You have to take me out to eat tonight. I don't want to sit around here and do nothing all night long." She stared at him challenging him to refuse.

"Sure, that sounds great."

She then looked around the apartment and without warning completely surprising Chuck, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"There are too many chairs in this room." Without looking at Chuck she stormed away and slammed the door of their bedroom behind her.

Chuck was speechless. He hadn't a clue what to do to help her. He knew what was going on because Sarah's doctor had been very clear about the extreme mood swings she would go through until her body stabilized.

He walked towards the bedroom door hoping to come up with something to say that would make everything OK.

"Don't cry sweetie," he said cringing at the weak effort. They had not reached that point yet where pet names seemed normal. Sarah had yet to call him by anything other than Chuck. She wasn't a pet name type of person.

"Chuck, I'm OK. Give me a moment. I'll be out in a little while. I think I'll be alright."

Chuck heard a difference in her voice and breathed a sigh of relief. That seemed to be the voice of Sarah Walker, smoking hot spy and one kickass secret agent.

"Let me pull myself together and I'll be right out. I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I'm right out here if you need me," Chuck said reluctantly going back to his couch.

He waited on pins and needles for Sarah to emerge from the bedroom. He feared it would be the crazy Sarah that had just made judgment on the amount of furniture in the room. But he hung onto the fact that the doctor said that until things stabilized for her she would have a fit caused by hormonal imbalances and that they would come and go in the blink of an eye. He hoped that the doctor was right.

But when she walked out of the bedroom she was dressed in black silk pajamas. She smiled at him sheepishly as though she was embarrassed by her pervious behavior.

"Are you OK?" he said to her.

"Yeah…that was intense. I thought I was losing my mind there for a second."

"The doctor said that it would be a little frightening to begin with." Chuck tried to be supportive.

Sarah looked at Chuck before speaking. "Let's not go out tonight. Suddenly I'm feeling the need to talk. We have to get some things sorted out. We've been together for a few weeks now and there's a lot we haven't talked about. I think it's time."

Chuck knew where she was going. He wanted to have this conversation their first night together but knew she wasn't ready. He smiled as he looked at her. "I'm ready anytime you are," he said.

"Whose turn is it to make dinner?" she asked.

Chuck took on a speculative look. "Let's see…didn't I make it last night?"

Sarah considered it as well. "I think you're right. I guess it's my turn." She sat down and considered her options. "Would you hand me the phone?"

"Sure, what are we having?"

"Pizza, I think."

"That works for me," he said smiling at her. "I'll fix the drinks…beer or soda?"

Sarah gave him that look. "How long have you known me? I don't just mean as a girlfriend."

Chuck's mouth turned up with that. Indeed there were aspects about Sarah that Chuck knew a great deal about. One of the things he knew about her was when she had pizza she drank beer and her beer of choice was a very stiff oatmeal stout.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch…I know, I know. I was just teasing."

"Well my panties are in a bunch, if you know what I mean. I don't like wearing them in the first place."

"I thought it was natural you going commando and all because you were a spy," he said trying to make a joke.

She wasn't laughing. "I'm serious Chuck. You don't have a clue what a pain in the ass this is going to be for me."

"Sarah, you could not keep that implant inside you. It was going to kill you."

She looked at him and saw the determination within his expression. She knew that when she saw that particular look that there was little use in arguing with him. His mind was made up.

She sighed. "Get the drinks, I'll order the food and then we'll talk."

X=X

"Look, I'm sorry about before. I just freaked out for a second. I haven't had a period in nine years. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Hey, I get it. There's no need to apologize," Chuck finished his first slice of pizza and washed it down with his beer. He looked quickly at her before looking away. He couldn't actually meet her eyes as he spoke. "So, what is it we need to talk about?"

Sarah looked at him waiting for his eyes to meet hers, when they did she started.

"I'm in love with a stranger."

"What, he said caught completely off guard by her statement.

"Don't get me wrong. I know a lot more about you than you do about me. But we can't go on living as though this doesn't matter. We have to talk."

"So talk. I'm ready." Chuck's voice was light hearted as he realized that he was the stranger. He had waited for this moment for a long time.

"Ok," Sarah said looking into her lap. This suddenly seemed harder than she had anticipated. It was the fear of hearing him say something painful. But she knew that it would be better to hear it now rather than later.

"I'm curious. What are your intentions regarding us?"

Chuck's brow drew down in puzzlement. "I don't understand, what do you mean?"

Sarah looked at him more seriously. "I think the question is clear."

"Well I don't know. Are you asking me if I want to get married?"

"I'm asking about commitment, Chuck. And yes marriage is a part of commitment but I an not speaking specifically about marriage. Is this something that you see going the distance?"

Chuck realized that Sarah didn't even know how to ask the question. "Yes. Without hesitation, I can tell you that I never want to live another day without you in my life."

Sarah smiled showing those funny shaped teeth she had.

_I love those teeth, he thought._

Sarah visually relaxed after hearing that. She couldn't completely wipe the smile off of her face as she went on. "Since we've already said the M word…what are your thoughts on marriage?"

"I see us married on day. I definitely do. I think we have to figure out a direction for our lives. But yeah."

She reached over and grabbed his hand. She had had more than one sleepless night worried about what Chuck had planned for the two of them. It was another example to her that she needed to open up with him and not worry for weeks about what he was thinking. Just ask him. She knew it was easier said than done but it was getting easier.

"Your turn," she said.

"OK," he said looking around the room obviously thinking about his question. "OK, someday we will get married. How do you feel about children? I get the feeling that you're uneasy about the subject."

Indeed she was and she couldn't hide it. Not that she was trying to. "I won't lie to you. The thought of having kids scares me to death. The way I feel right now…is I would have to get used to the idea," she said looking at him intently. "Who knows maybe I will."

"Fair enough, I can live with that. Ok your turn," he said to her.

She looked at the ceiling thinking. "Who did you vote for?"

Chuck looked at her, the surprise clearly evident on his face. "Politics, you're asking me about politics?"

She nodded her head clearly enjoying this repartee.

"Obama, who else."

"I thought as much." She said no more.

"Wait, wait a minute. Who did you vote for?"

She raised her eyes slowly to meet his and when they met she raised her eyebrows.

"You didn't. I can't believe you voted for McCain."

"Republican's always spend more money on defense. If you knew what I knew then you would vote republican too."

"Never. I don't believe that the end justifies the means. It's like torture at Guantanamo Bay, If we have to do that to win…then we're no better than they are and it really doesn't matter who wins." Chuck was animated and passionate.

Sarah smiled at him. She loved the fact that he believed in the black and white world of good and bad. She knew that she didn't have that luxury having been a spy for ten years. "Well, if we do get married I guess we'll cancel out each other's vote," she said smiling.

Chuck looked at her not sure if he was willing to laugh at this. He believed it too important.

"Come on Chuck. I'm not changing my mind on this. Is this something you can live with?"

When she put it like that. A slow smile crept along his lips. "I guess I can learn to live with it. But I promise you that you'll vote democrat before we're through."

She laughed. "Don't hold your breath on that one."

"All right, whose turn is it?" Sarah asked.

"Mine," he said getting serious. "What about God? I've never heard you say if you believe in God or any religion as far as that goes."

"Would it kill you if I said I didn't believe in the God of the bible?"

"What God do you believe in then?"

Sarah tilted her head back as she tried to put her thoughts into words. "I believe that there is something beyond this life. But I'm not sure that there is someone or something that is in control of everything. I've seen to much bad, too much evil to think that any one being with ultimate power could tolerate it. It just doesn't make sense."

It was a side of her he had never seen and he loved it. He was doing something he had dreamed about for over two years. Getting to know the real Sarah Walker.

They talked seriously about religion at length. It was deep and stimulating. Both Sarah and Chuck fell deeper in love with each other as they shared some of their innermost secrets.

"Ok, my turn," Sarah said. "I've got something I've been wondering about. Are you going to stay with the CIA or are you going to do something else with your life?"

Chuck was surprised by that. "I can't do anything until they get the intersect out of my head."

"I know that. But when they do. What are your plans?"

Chuck saw through the question. Or more accurately, he saw that there was a reason for the question.

He cocked his head to the side. "Why? Why do you want to know?"

"It might make a difference in what I decide to do with a job offer I just received."

"What! You got the offer?"

Sarah smiled and accepted the hug that Chuck gave her.

"When were you going to tell me?" he asked with mock hurt in his voice.

"Right now. I just got the offer this afternoon."

"Sarah, that's great. Are you gonna take it?"

"That depends."

"On what?"

"On your answer. Do you plan on staying with the CIA once the intersect is removed?"

"No, I mean I like it. It's addicting but I know in here," he pointed to his chest. "I'm not cut out for this." He watched her smile grow as she absorbed what he had said.

"Then in that case I am taking the job. And I hope that they find a way to remove the intersect soon."

Sarah got up to put away the pizza and grab a couple more beers "Ok, Chuck. Your turn," she said from the kitchen.

"Sarah, I gotta ask this. It's not a happy question but it's been on my mind. So I gotta ask."

Sarah sat down on the couch opposite of him. She knew that whatever it was it had to do with her former job. She took a deep breath knowing it was most likely one of two questions. She was prepared to talk about one but reluctantly she was not ready to talk about the killing.

"Sarah, not that it matters but in your ten years with the company how many men did you have to sleep with to…you know get the job done?"

That was the question she did not want to talk about. But would if he asked it.

"Do we really have to talk about this now?" Her expression grew more serious.

Chuck nodded his head in response "It's driven me crazy, Sarah. Can you just tell me something about it?"

"Look, I'm not trying to avoid the question, it's not like I didn't expect it. Frankly, I'm surprised you've waited this long before wanting to talk about it."

"So…what's the answer?"

Sarah looked at him and sighed. She hoped that he wouldn't loose respect for her after this.

"I don't know for sure. I've tried to remember them all but I doubt if I have." She looked into his eyes. "Best I can tell you is between twenty and thirty men."

In response to Chuck's eyes becoming the size of saucers she continued. "It's what we're trained to do. If there's any way around it, we take that route but otherwise." She hesitated long enough for Chuck to understand what she was about to say and then said it in unison with him. "We get the job done."

She saw that Chuck was fixating on this new information and decided to turn the tables on him. Even though she was pretty sure that the number of lovers he had had was no more than three, she still felt like finding out for sure.

"How about you? How many women have you been with?"

Chuck bit his lower lip as he thought about it. "Uh, counting you?"

She smiled. She thought now that the number was going to be two. Jill and her.

"Seven, maybe eight but I'm not sure Kathy Stewart counts. I've was so drunk I didn't even remember it. Kathy's friend Jena told me about it later." He stopped talking to look up at Sarah's face which was the epitome of shock.

"What?" Eight women. When?" she was shocked and stammered out the words.

"Two in high school and the rest in college."

"Chuck, I had no-"

"Nine, I forgot about that girl on my twenty third birthday. I don't remember her name."

Sarah stared at him without speaking for an uncomfortable moment then stood and walked away.

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

On her way to the bedroom where she fully intended to slam the door in his abstract face, it hit her how juvenile she was being. She stopped and turned around. She saw him looking at her in disbelief. She thought about what he must be thinking. She walked quickly back to where he sat and practically fell into his lap.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that I had no idea that you were that experienced. I'm actually very impressed. I didn't think you nerds were that successful when it came to female conquests?"

"Well they were all nerds too. You know… nerd love." He smiled at her hoping she would accept the joke and lighten up.

She did smile in response. "OK, I have to admit you have impressed me. Do you know what that means?"

He shook his head in response.

"You've had more actual lovers than I have."

"You're kidding?"

"No, there's Bryce and you and one other guy just before Bryce."

Oh, OK," he said obviously going to drop the subject.

Sarah didn't want to drop it. She knew she needed to get this out in the open.

"You kind of know the guy."

That was all it took. Chuck was now fully invested in the subject. He let her know with the intensity of his expression. There was no need for him to ask.

She hesitated a moment hoping that he would throw out a name but he didn't.

"It was Greg, Chuck. Only once, right before I met Bryce."

"Jeez Sarah, you could have told me before we went out to dinner with him and Amanda…does she know?"

"Yeah, she knows."

"Sarah, I wish that you would have told me."

"This is not easy for me. I'm still learning how to share my feelings with you." You have to remember, I spent ten years keeping everything locked up. Even doing what we're doing here tonight isn't easy. I've had to tell myself more than once that this is what couples in love do." She looked at him to make sure he got what she was saying.

"Hey, it's OK. I'm not coming down on you. I would have liked to have known that's all."

"Fair enough."

"I don't know about you but I've had just about as much honesty as I can take tonight," Chuck said trying to be funny.

Sarah looked at her lap. She had waited for this moment all night and now that it was here, she wasn't sure she could ask the question.

"Chuck, I've got one more thing I'd like to talk about if you don't mind."

He took another swig of oatmeal stout and waited for her to continue.

"How long have you been in love with me?"

"Sarah, honestly, I think I fell in love with you on our first date. You know the fake first date."

She nodded her head taking in his answer.

"My question is this, how could you have asked me to go into that seminar instead of Jill knowing full well I could have been killed?" Sarah tried to keep the moisture from collecting in her eyes. But she knew they were moist.

Chuck was stunned. He was beyond stunned. He tried to answer and stumbled on his words. When he did finally manage to speak he stuttered.

"I, it, its…I don't know what to say to you Sarah. I've asked myself the same question. I just thought you would be better able to defend yourself than Jill would. I had no idea she was a fulcrum agent."

His answer didn't help. "But how could you ask **me** to do it knowing I could get killed?"

Chuck eyes began to tear up as well as he struggled to explain it to her. "It's just that." He stopped trying to verbalize his thoughts. Finally, he had it. He knew how he could have asked her to take that kind of risk.

"Because I've never thought that anything could really happen to you. It wasn't until I saw Jill with a gun pointed at your back that I realized you could have been killed. That's when Jill lost all of her appeal for me."

Sarah thought about what he had said. It made sense to her. She could easily see Chuck thinking that she was invincible. In fact, he had implied it many times over their time together.

Sarah didn't really want to end this evening on such a depressing note but she knew this subject was necessary for them to get passed. She also knew that they would get passed it. She tried to smile to let Chuck know everything was going to be OK. She managed a meager one. But it was enough to let Chuck know that she was alright.

"Come on, I say we go to bed early. This sharing our feelings is hard work. I'm tired," she said trying to make a joke.

They got up and started towards their bedroom. Sarah led the way but then suddenly looked back at Chuck.

"You OK?" she asked.

"I'm good. It's just that I was thinking. Two or three more of these sessions and we'll have everything out in the open."

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks just before reaching their bedroom door. She turned around and appraised him seriously.

"Two or three more? You've got that many more questions?"

"At least," he said completely seriously.

"Chuck I didn't know-"

"Relax Sarah, the next time we do this I'm gonna want to know about your favorite color, what your favorite vacation spot is, favorite sexual position…you know that sort of thing," he finished smiling broadly.

"I see," she said completely without humor. "I was going to answer one of those questions tonight but seeing you want to wait until another time…" she walked into the bedroom completely dismissing the man.

"Huh, Sarah. I think it's good to answer these questions as they come up. I don't think we need to wait for a formal session to-" That's when he saw the mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh, you're gonna pay for that," he said running after her.

She let out a squeal and took off running around the bedroom finally jumping on the bed to evade capture.

Chuck stood staring at her. He could not believe his good fortune. The most beautiful woman in the world was jumping on his bed daring him to come get her. _Oh, he was going to get her, he thought. _

It did not occur to him that he already had. A long time ago.

**A/N: Thanks for reading this little thang. I would appreciate hearing from you if you like it. A review, an alert of any kind, or even a PM to let me know. That keeps all of us who write motivated. Thanks again...LeeCan.**


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: This is the end of the story. I hope you like it. There is a small chance that I will do a very short epilogue but I may not. I like how this ends the way it is. Let me know what you think.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Twenty Four

"Are you sure Casey will let me in?" Sarah said as she walked through the doors of the Orange Orange for the first time in months.

"Beckman's orders, she specifically asked that I bring you to this briefing." Chuck walked straight to the secret door and punched in the code.

"That's unusual. Do you know what it's all about?" Sarah continued.

"No, but I can tell you that Casey just about dropped his teeth when Beckman told him to let you down here. He's received enormous pleasure keeping you out of here."

"Sadistic pleasure if you ask me," she said smiling as she looked at Casey grimacing up at her.

Casey and Amanda Irving were both already there as Chuck and Sarah descended the metal staircase to the secret spy chamber. As they joined the two agents on the floor, the monitor flashed on showing General Beckman in her usual expression.

"Good morning everyone," she said and then looked pointedly at Sarah. "It's good to see you again Ms. Walker."

"Thank you General," Sarah said ignoring Casey's unmistakable growling to her right. She dipped her head trying to hide the smile on her face. She didn't want to anger him further.

"You're probably wondering what this is all about," the general said as she looked at each one of them. "The short answer is we have a new Commander-in-Chief and… some new marching orders." General Beckman looked directly at Chuck. "These new marching orders have a direct impact on you Agent Carmichael."

Chuck and Sarah exchanged worried glances.

"What do you mean, General?" Sarah asked feeling that old need to protect her one time asset.

The general visibly sighed. "We have developed the means to safely remove the intersect from Chuck Bartowski."

"What!" Chuck's voice was excited. He looked at Sarah with an expression of pure joy.

Amanda walked to Sarah and laid her hand on her arm smiling warmly. She knew what this news meant to the couple. Even Casey's scowl had vanished with this news.

But amidst the celebration in the Orange Orange, the general continued. "But we would like for you to consider leaving it intact."

Sarah looked to the monitor astounded. "You can't ask him to do that," she said her voice raising a level. She knew if there was a legitimate reason, Chuck would feel compelled to oblige the general.

"I want to see all of you tomorrow in my office. At least hear what I have to say."

Sarah stepped toward the monitor. "General, do you know how long-"

"Sarah," the general said cutting her off. "Come to Washington. Let's talk. I really do think you will want to hear what I have to say."

The whole group, but in particular, Sarah and Casey looked at the general with slack jaws. It was the first time any of them had heard the general call anyone by their first name.

"General, I can't. I start a new job in two days," Sarah said.

"Give me a name and number. I will take care of everything. After hearing what I have to say, if you still want the intersect removed. We'll remove it the same day."

Chuck and Sarah were in a daze. They had dreamed of this day. They had agreed to wait until the intersect was removed before they moved forward with their own personal plans.

They looked at each other with happy smiles. They were looking at the end of a long and sometimes painful road. But no more, they could think about their future now.

The general looked at the two and had to repress a smile herself. "Ms. Walker…Agent Carmichael, I want you both to come to this meeting with an open mind. I have an extraordinary proposal for you." Then the general did something else they had never seen her do. She smiled warmly.

"Either way Agent Carmichael, I suppose this is the last time I address you as your superior…good luck to you no matter what you decide to do." She looked again to everyone. "It's been my honor working with all of you."

The screen went blank.

The four people occupying the lower level of the Orange Orange stared at the screen long after it died.

"I wonder what she has to propose," Casey said breaking his gaze from the monitor to look at his companions.

"I don't have a clue but I've got to get a company jet in here to pick us up. Somehow I don't think we will have any trouble getting one," Amanda said walking up the stairs. She left the building to make the travel arrangements.

"Casey, Chuck and Sarah followed Amanda up the stairs and out of the building. Chuck and Sarah went to their apartment and Casey went to his.

X=X

"Sarah it's here. The day we've been dreaming about is finally here," Chuck said excitedly as he paced around the apartment.

"I know but I can't help but wonder what Beckman has up her sleeve."

"Does it matter?"

Sarah looked at him with that look of hers. "I don't want you to automatically turn her down because you think I'll be disappointed. Let's hear what she has to say then we talk about it. If I don't like it, I promise you I will let you know."

He smiled at her. "I'm so excited I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight."

"I don't see that as a problem."

"You clearly don't know how psyched I am," he said.

"You clearly don't know what I have in mind to take your mind off of it."

X=X

Chuck, Sarah, Amanda and Casey waited in the general's office at the Pentagon. When she came into the office, Casey stood and saluted.

"At ease, Major."

Casey sat down and ignored the smirk that Chuck gave him.

"Thank you all for coming," the general said. "I know you're all curious as to why you're here. So I will get right to the point." She put on a pair of glasses and read a memo before looking back to her guests.

"You see the new president is a hands on man. He recently read some reports from the early missions with Casey, Walker and Bartowski. I'm not sure where he got word of these operations but he did and when he found out about Mr. Bartowski's condition, he insisted that we correct the situation. But then he read through the complete files and he became very impressed. Impressed with all of you but in particular with an Agent Charles Carmichael. When he found out that Bartowski and Carmichael was one in the same he came up with a plan."

"Any questions so far?" the general asked. Seeing none she continued. "What the President of the United States has authorized me to offer you four is the formation of a top secret organization. Answering only to him. You will have complete autonomy to carry out specialized missions that you are uniquely qualified to complete. Your jurisdiction is the world." The general stopped and regarded her guests.

To say they were shocked was the understatement of the year. Amanda was more than shocked. She was worried because she knew that she and Greg had taken a huge step in getting together. She was worried that moving to another organization would put a damper on the situation.

Chuck saw the look on her face and knew immediately what her problem was. He then looked at Sarah. He almost burst out laughing. Both Sarah and Casey looked like the proverbial kids in a candy shop. Their excitement was palatable. Chuck knew with one look at Sarah's face that he did not have to ask what she wanted.

He turned back to Amanda who still looked concerned. Turning to the general he cleared his voice.

"General, there are a few conditions we would have to insist upon," he said. He did not see the look of absolute terror on Casey's face as he thought Chuck was about to ruin the dream job for any real spook.

"Just name them," the general said.

"We'll need a team. A specialized team of professionals for technical analysis."

"I'm sure that can be arranged," the general said.

"But not just any professionals," he continued. "Professionals we're comfortable with."

"Who is it you want Mr. Bartowski?"

"Project Room Four of the CIA, General."

Amanda began to smile as she understood what Chuck had just done for her.

"I see. I'm sure that is doable assuming they agree." She looked at the group. "Do you accept?"

Chuck looked at Sarah, then to Casey and finally to Amanda. He knew the answer was yes in all cases. He turned to the general.

"Yes Ma'am, we accept."

"Very well. The president will be pleased. Oh, there is just one other thing…"

"Yes," Chuck answered for all.

"We have to talk about the leader of this team. He has to be a man of integrity."

Casey smiled and stuck his chest out.

"He has to have the wherewithal to deal with any situation that can arise and he has to have the respect of the group. That's why the president insists upon Charles Carmichael as the point man.

Casey looked as though the general had just spoken Swahili.

That led the general to continue. "So, can the rest of you work under Charles Carmichael?"

Sarah expression dissolved into a smile as she looked at Amanda. She was not going to let this opportunity pass without giving it back to Casey. He had been merciless to her since she left the agency. She gave Amanda the signal to start with her eyes.

"I can work under Agent Carmichael and I know Sarah can work under him," Amanda said.

"Oh, I love working under him." Sarah looked at Casey.

"I know you have a lot more experience working under Agent Carmichael than I do but when I had the opportunity to work under him, I really enjoyed it," Amanda said while trying to keep a straight face.

Sarah shook her head as though she understood completely and then turned to Casey. "I'm sure you'll love working under Agent Carmichael too, Casey." Her smile was positively lecherous.

He didn't say a word. He knew when he didn't stand a chance and just took it. Although, if looks could kill.

The general was clueless. "Is there something I'm missing here?" she asked.

"No Ma'am," we are just happy with the organizational structure."

"Very well then. There are a couple of details we will have to work out. For one, Agent Walker, you need to go to Langley and reactivate your status. You all have a meeting with the president this afternoon. You'll be given time to find a location, procure the equipment you need, and develop the covers you need to work with all the Intelligence communities in the world."

"What about budgets and other like details?" Chuck asked.

"The president will explain in detail or one of his men, the operation he has in mind and how it will be financed. You four will not worry about such matters. Your jobs will be to catch the bad guys…understood?"

The four nodded their heads, shook hands with the general and left the Pentagon for a meeting with the President of the United States.

X=X

"Sir, I don't understand how you learned of my situation?" Chuck said.

"That's a mystery at this point. I received an email from 'Millie'. She had a number of files attached for me to read," the president said.

"How did she get your email address?"

"I don't know. I've had our best IT guys working on it and we haven't been able to figure out how she accomplished it." The president looked at Chuck pointedly. "You wouldn't know anything about it would you Agent Carmichael?"

Chuck felt like crawling into his shoes. "Uh, I'm not absolutely certain at this point, sir. I will look into it."

Barack smiled at him. "Very well then, I don't expect to ever receive another email from Millie…is that understood?"

"Completely, absolutely…it couldn't be clearer, sir."

"You don't know the trouble that girl caused me. I almost had to give up my blackberry. I would have been sorely disappointed had that happened."

It was sobering to be called out by the President of the United States. Everyone in the room felt the weight of those words.

"I give you my word sir, it will never happen again." Chuck looked at Amanda and silently received agreement that she would speak to Greg.

"OK, I'm out of time but I want you all to read these," he said handing each of the agents a packet. These are the missions I would like for you to tackle. I don't care what order you take them in. That's your decision. But I do have one other dictate that I want to make." Barak looked from Sarah to Amanda. "From this moment on, there will be no get the job done no matter what' kind of mentality. I've read mission reports from both of you and while I applaud your tenacity for protecting your country, I do not expect any of you to go beyond what you are comfortable with. There are limits to what each of you is expected to do. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes sir," the agents said in unison.

"Good. I doubt if we ever see each other face to face again. But I want you to know that I wish you all the luck in the world," he said standing to shake each hand. "Oh and don't forget…take a couple of weeks off. You all have earned it. You know how to reach me. Let me know when you get started."

Each agent said goodbye to the president and they left the oval office together. As they walked out of the entrance to the White House, they all had smiles on their faces.

"So boss, when and where do you want to see us again?" Amanda asked.

"Los Angeles in two weeks. That should give us enough time to wind down. I've got to talk to Greg about a new job and then I've got one other thing to do. I'll see you at the Orange Orange on the 29th," he said.

Amanda could I get a ride with you? I think I would rather go back to the hotel. You don't mind do you Chuck?" Sarah said.

Chuck smiled at her and shook his head. "I'll see you tonight," he said.

X=X

Chuck was nervous. He had dreamed of doing what he was planning to do for two and a half years. Most of the time those dreams seemed just that…dreams.

But now, he had a ring in his pocket and the wherewithal to make his dreams come true. There was just one thing standing in the way of his dream.

A single word.

That's all he needed to hear to feel as though he could breathe again, just one word. He had heard the word used over and over today. It was a simple word that no one thought anything about. But Chuck thought about it.

One word held the key to his happiness. If he didn't hear that word tonight, then he didn't know what he would do. Not that he didn't think he would hear it, he felt sure that he would. But there was always doubt. Until he actually slid the ring on her finger and heard her say yes, he would continue to feel as though a swarm of bees had taken up residence in his stomach.

He planned and he schemed and after a lot of calling in favors, twisting of arms and just plain pleading, he finally had the night planned out.

He knew that one of the few music artists that Sarah enjoyed listening to was Alison Krauss. He also knew that the recent Grammy award winning duo of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were playing in Washington tonight. Because Chuck had a favor to call in with English rocker Tyler Martin, who knew Robert Plant very well, he had the perfect plan in place.

So it was that Chuck found himself on the way to a concert in Washington DC. Everything was in place and he was nervous as he had ever been. He tried to keep it from Sarah but he caught the strange little looks she gave him from time to time.

He parked the car and escorted her inside. He had to maneuver her to just the right spot without her realizing that anything special was going on. They made their way through the maze of people. Chuck weaved through the crowd and found the spot he was looking for.

"Is this OK?" he asked her.

"Sure," she said as she looked around the auditorium. "Remember the last time you and I were at a concert together?"

Chuck laughed as he thought of the Tyler Martin concert. "Yeah, I hope this one doesn't have any guns involved."

They talked and laughed as they waited on the concert to begin. The time went by quickly and before they knew it, out walked the band and right after that, Alison and Robert came out to a thunderous ovation.

"Thank you Washington DC.," Robert said.

Alison waved to the crowd.

"You know Alison, normally we'd go right into the show but I have something I need to do first," Robert said.

Alison looked at the crowd and indicated she didn't have a clue what he was talking about by her upturned shoulders.

"In the audience tonight, there is a couple." He waited for the applause to die down. "His name is Chuck and her name is Sarah."

At that moment, the spotlight lit on Chuck and Sarah.

"Sarah, Chuck has a question he would like to ask you," Robert said.

With that, Chuck went to one knee and opened the ring case. "Sarah Walker…will you marry me," he said. Although no one in the crowd could hear him, they all knew what he had said.

Anyone who knew Sarah would have said that in that moment she had never looked happier. She looked as though she was about to respond and then looked up to the stage.

Alison stepped up to the microphone and cleared her voice. "Chuck, I have been instructed to tell you that Sarah says YES."

Chuck looked up at his fiancé with a bewildered expression. "I don't…how did you?-"

"Well are you going to give me the ring or not?" Sarah asked smiling.

Chuck stood and slipped the ring on her finger. The crowd exploded as they kissed passionately holding on to each other feeling the perfectness of this moment.

When they stopped, the spotlight fell off of them and the first song began.

"How did you know what I was going to do?" he asked amazed at what she had done. .

Sarah smiled. "I'm a spy. It's what I do."

The End.


End file.
